Konoha's Pet Shop
by TheBeardedOne
Summary: A repository of story fragments for Naruto (which I do not own). Re-published in proper order in response to requests.
1. Author's Notes

Authors prologue for all stories.

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The following chapters contain chapters that I wrote for certain stories which started promisingly… until my muse decided to relocate to an alternate dimension with no way of returning.

Needless to say (but I will say it anyway), this has left me with several dead stories.

I am therefore posting these aforementioned deceased articles of literature in the hope that someone out there (hint hint) can take the barely-connected ramblings which hover on the verge of insanity and through hard work and effort (or lots of alcohol) produce something readable.

To do so, just take the chapters and use them as a basis for your own work. Permission is granted in advance.

If you drop me a note once you've published your first chapter (that is the first chapter you wrote rather than copy-pasted or whatever), I'll place a link to it on my profile so that others can come and marvel at how your skill exceeds mine.

(Or laugh at your inability to spell and use the enter button. Whichever.)

For those who do not choose to pick up the gauntlet (£7.99 at all participating stores), the chapters ahead may yet inspire you to write your own fics.

Or you can simply laugh at them. Whichever.

I do have some stories I am working on, so do not abandon all hope.

Oh, who am I kidding. Despair away. See if I care.

Anyway, enjoy the story fragments.


	2. Boss Training Prologue

_Authors note :- This is a time-travel fic, but rather than having one of the main characters travel back, I chose someone who I don't think has been done before._

_Since I couldn't find the canon names of Konohamaru's parents, I nicked them from Pudgypudge's story The Melt ( story id- /s/4057805/1/The-Melt ). Thanks Pudgypudge, I owe you one._

_As always, I don't own Naruto._

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**Prologue**

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The whimpers of the injured and the cries of the bereaved echoed around the ruins of what had once been the mightiest village in the Elemental Nations. Standing on the pile of rubble that had once been the Hokage Tower, Konohamaru looked out over the miles of burning ash and embers that had once been the forest that had surrounded Konoha. Beyond the ashes, the forces arrayed against Konoha were barely visible as movement on the horizon. Shaking his head, Konohamaru descended from the vantage point, cursing his lack of depth-perception and his missing arm. Reaching the ground, he moved through the severely-depleted ranks of Shinobi, reaching the room where a familiar figure lay.

"Rokudaime, you were right. They are gathering again."

The bandaged man on the bed nodded, then struggled to sit up. Konohamaru helped him, his eye once again refusing to focus on the stumps that had once been both arms and a leg.

"I assume we cannot win."

Konohamaru nodded at the quiet statement. "We have lost, Boss, we have less than a dozen shinobi capable of fighting, three dozen if you count partials such as myself. They have _another_ damned army."

"And I cannot use the Raiton-rasenshuriken again." The Hokage said with a sigh. "We cannot win this one. We… have no choice."

"You will go back?"

"No, I cannot." The Hokage said quietly. "I need to stay here, to die, in order to perform the jutsu. I am not the one to perform this mission…"

For a moment, Konohamaru froze, unwilling to understand.

"But Boss…"

"I know." The Hokage said, smiling underneath his bandages. "I have suspected for almost a year that it might come to this, that's why I had you do all that research, why I taught you all the techniques I know, even Sage Mode and the Hiraishin. I did it so that you can teach me."

Konohamaru blinked as his vision blurred. Ignoring the tears trickling down his cheek, he lowered himself into a full formal prostration.

"Rokudaime Hokage Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto… I accept the mission you have given me and I swear that I shall complete it."

Naruto nodded. "Then it is time. We need to move now."

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"We shall buy as much time as we can, Hokage." Temari said, her face unsmiling. Naruto nodded.

"If this works, all of this shall never have been for any of us, except one."

"He's the only one who can do it." Temari said, bowing to Konohamaru. "It is a shame that none of your sensei's survived, but we use what we have. Good luck."

Konohamaru watched her leave, then sighed. "I'll see her smile again." He vowed quietly. "She'll be back with Shikamaru if I have anything to do with it. And this time, their child will survive."

"Time travel is not that simple." Naruto warned. "Every choice you make will ripple outwards. Merely by being back there, you will change history. That is why I ordered you only to research personality profiles and an overview of the main events. Even if they happen, they'll happen differently."

Konohamaru nodded, then helped Naruto across the room, placing him at one of the two focal points of the seal array carved into the ground. Around the room, a dozen other shinobi, each too injured to fight but capable of still moulding chakra, nodded their readiness. Konohamaru looked round, his heart almost breaking as he realised that he and Naruto were the only two Konoha shinobi in the room.

"Are you ready, brother?"

Konohamaru nodded. "Yes, Boss, I'm ready."

"Then," Naruto said, closing his eyes and summoning first his own chakra, then the Kyuubi's, "Let us begin!"

The other ninja around the room closed their eyes and began glowing with released chakra, chakra which funnelled into the great seal and made it start to glow. As they did so, an explosion sounded and dust fell from the roof. Konohamaru gave Naruto a worried look.

"Prepare yourself, brother."

Konohamaru nodded and tried to calm himself. As he knelt down, distant clashes of metal echoed down the staircase.

"Release!"

The chakra surrounding Naruto intensified, a red tail appearing and stabbing into the engraved seal, then a second and a third. With each new tail, the seal fluctuated but the twelve anchoring it managed to hold it steady. Konohamaru watched, engraving the sacrifice he was seeing into his mind. Six tails were lashing, then seven, then eight and Naruto's body seemed to begin to dissipate as the ninth tail emerged, arcing over the seal, then plunging into it.

As the final tail connected, Temari's corpse fell down the stairs, then the light from the seal seemed to freeze, then erupt into a massive flare. Konohamaru saw the anchoring shinobi in his line of sight almost vaporise as the seal surged, then the entire room vanished into a vortex of light that surrounded him, picking him up and flowing through him. For a moment, he saw the enemy flooding into the room, then everything turned gold and he knew no more.


	3. Boss Training 1

**Chapter One**

Arrival

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Light.

Bright light and concerned voices.

Konohamaru inhaled deeply, then opened his eyes. For a few moments, his eyes refused to focus, then the moving shapes slowly resolved themselves into a heartbreakingly familiar figure.

His mother, Eri.

Konohamaru grinned. It had worked! He was back, everything could be fixed!

"You see, nothing wrong, dad. Probably just a nightmare. Now, I think it's time to change his nappy."

Konohamaru froze.

His nappy?

How far back had he gone?

Kami, this was going to be embarrasing!

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Konohamaru lay in his bed, considering things as much as he could. He needed to somehow meet Naruto and change things enough that Naruto would learn more of what he really needed. From the long discussions he had had with Boss, he had learned that Naruto had suffered from poor chakra control because no-one had actually taught him the exercises he truly needed, the tree-walking and the water-walking. And even after he had learned the Kage Bunshin, it had been years before he had been informed of the learning portion of the jutsu, something that he had taken great pains to inform Konohamaru about when the younger boy had learned the technique.

There was no helping it. He needed to find Naruto and get him help.

But how? And who?

Ebisu was the obvious choice, but it had been several years after they had first encountered each other that the black-clad Jonin (if he was one yet) had finally admitted that his early appraisal of Naruto had been wrong. Hatake Kakashi was out, he may have been a great ANBU and fighter, but his teaching skills were not appropriate to the circumstances. In addition, he was chronically late, something that Konohamaru did not want Naruto to pick up.

Maito Gai… Konohamaru shuddered at the thought of Naruto in green spandex. He had seen it once, as the result of a bet, and it had just been… wrong. Just… wrong.

Uncle Asuma was currently in the Daimyo's court, so he was out.

That left Yuuhi Kurenai, who probably wasn't a Jonin yet. Team 8 had been her first team, so she was still a chunin.

Konohamaru sighed. This was going to be even harder than he had thought.

But he would see it through. He had given his word, and he never went back on his word.

It was his _nindo_, his ninja way, as taught to him by Naruto.

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Konohamaru scampered down the hallway on all fours, mentally cursing his underdeveloped body. As soon as he could, he was going to learn to run properly again, dammit! And for more than a half-dozen steps at a time!

His thoughts came to a sudden halt as he heard a familiar name.

"…so why didn't you tell me the orphanage had thrown you out?"

Orphanage? Naruto! Boss!

Konohamaru scrambled through the door as fast as he could and paused, looking at the familiar blond-haired figure. He looked just like the picture of him and jiji, the picture taken on the day that Naruto had been placed into the fourth orphanage, about a year before he enrolled in the academy.

Well, if he had anything to do with it, _that_ would change.

Before Jiji could get up from his armchair, Konohamaru stumbled across to Naruto and grabbed onto his legs, pulling himself upright and looking up at him. After a pause that seemed to last an eternity, Naruto reached down and pulled him up onto the sofa. Unwilling to lose momentum, Konohamaru promptly dived onto his future Hokage and embraced him as tightly as he could.

The room went silent for a moment, then Hiruzen chuckled.

"Well, it would seem that my grandson has taken quite a liking to you, Naruto."

"Nii-san!"

A shocked silence echoed through the room, then Hiruzen coughed to hide his chuckle. "Well, this is… unexpected. Naruto, what have you done to my grandson?"

"I… I haven't done anything!" Naruto protested and Konohamaru grinned without relaxing his grip.

"Konohamaru!"

"It's alright, Eri." Hiruzen laughed. "I think he just made a new friend."

Konohamaru's grin widened. Now he could see Naruto more and… oh hell. How could he train his boss without it looking suspicious?

This was going to be so troublesome.

_Troublesome_? Had he _really_ just used the word troublesome?

Maybe he'd spent too much time around Shikamaru before he had been sent back.

Well, he had an opportunity to get to know Boss again, and he damned-well wasn't going to waste it.

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Konohamaru curled up in Naruto's lap, smiling. He'd managed to get Naruto to spend the whole day with him, admittedly by refusing to let go and by using the _puppy dog eyes no jutsu_ whenever Eri or Yahiko had said something about seperating them, and his parents had given in.

Naruto was moving in!

Yahiko had already found out that the orphanages hadn't bothered to teach Naruto to read and had in fact tried to sabotage his early learning, and the scholar in him was _beyond_ furious. When he had thought no-one was paying attention, Yahiko had nipped out and returned with a load of books to help teach Naruto what he needed to know. Of course, he had claimed they were meant for Konohamaru as he grew older, but that until then Naruto was allowed to borrow them as needed.

Jiji had managed not to laugh, but the twinkle in his eyes had been obvious.

Eri herself had been unconvinced until Konohamaru had _accidently_ spilled some food onto Naruto, making him take of his t-shirt so that it could be wiped clean. The sight of Naruto's scrawny, underfed body with its obvious ribs had appealed to all the motherly instincts that Eri possessed, and her stance had done a complete turnaround from "are you _sure_ he isn't dangerous?" to "no-one does that to a child while _I'm_ around!"

A gentle pair of hands picked Konohamaru up and he looked into his mother's face as she smiled at him.

"Come on, Ko." She said quietly. "Time for bed, Naruto'll still be here in the morning for you. I promise."

Konohamaru smiled and hugged her as she carried him out of the room. As they left, his smile widened as he watched his dad gently pick up Naruto, making sure not to wake him, and move towards the guest bedrooms.

Sometimes, it seemed that Kami smiled on him.

He would take all the help he could get.

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Naruto woke up in confusion.

He was lying on something soft. Not just a normal mattress like he normally got, one with lumps and sharp springs poking through as well as suspicious smells, but a soft, padded one which felt like he was floating on a cloud.

Several blankets kept him warm. Again, they were smooth and soft, not stained, holed and ragged like he was used to.

And no-one was shouting at him, or hitting him.

"Nii-san!"

A weight descended on Naruto's stomach and then a small pair of arms wrapped around his neck.

"Glrk?"

"Mornin' nii-san!"

Naruto blinked and looked down at the face grinning at him. He recognised that face, it was… Kono… Konohamaru? Yep, that was it. Looking round, he felt his confusion deepen, then what happened the previous day flooded back.

He owed Konohamaru, the little kid had somehow made Jiji take him in rather than move him to another Kami-damned orphanage to be ignored and abandoned.

"Okay, Ko." Naruto said, inadvertently solidifying his position as Konohamaru's number-one precious person, "I'm getting up. But you'll need to get off me first."

After a moment, Konohamaru released his grip and slid back down to the floor. Naruto got out of his bed and walked over to where a pile of clothing had been left. Picking up the topmost item, he donned the kimono and held out his hand for Konohamaru to take.

"Maybe you can show me where we get food, I'm hungry."

Konohamaru grabbed Naruto's hand, grinning widely.

Things were going well.

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"Father, we need to talk."

Hiruzen looked up at his son, one eyebrow raised.

"It's Naruto… Eri and I have been talking, we've seen how Konohamaru acts around him over the last few weeks and vice versa… we'd like to adopt Naruto if we can."

Hiruzen sighed. "I considered that myself, but… there are reasons that he cannot be adopted. Political reasons. Having him living in my house is going to cause real problems by itself when it is revealed to the council."

Yahiko frowned. "Is it because he's the son of Kushina and Minato?"

"How did you know that!?"

Yahiko smirked slightly at his father's reaction. "I was friends to both of them. Naruto has her chin and personality, as well as her clan name. In looks, though, he looks just like a young Minato if you ignore the whiskers. Anyone who knew Minato would see it. And what's with the rumours of him being a demon?"

Hiruzen sagged back into his chair.

"What do you know about Jinchuuriki?"

Yahiko looked thoughtful. "He holds the Kyuubi, like Mito did?"

Hiruzen nodded, reminded again that Yahiko was not the head of the archives just because of his family connections. "Yes. And Kushina."

"I always suspected that, given when she arrived in Konoha." Yahiko nodded. "So, Naruto's the third Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I see."

For several moments, both men sat in silence, then Yahiko snorted.

"What?"

"Konohamaru needs someone to keep him out of mischief, and Naruto needs some _serious_ remedial education and training. I think we should… _employ_… Naruto. We have that small guest-house at the bottom of the garden that we never got round to fixing up or tearing down. Take a few pictures of it now, use a genin team to repair it and Naruto gets a place to live, even if he's going to spend most of his time with us. A growing boy needs some room and occasional privacy, after all. It's not like the Namikaze mansion is habitable, after all."

Hiruzen nodded. The house had been stepped on by the Kyuubi on the day of Naruto's birth. While the vault was still intact, it was bloodseal-locked and only Hiruzen and a few select others even knew of that it still existed.

When Naruto reached Chunin, he'd take him there to let him reclaim his heritage.

"Why the pictures?"

"For the council." Yahiko explained. "Show them the pictures of the barely-livable building and they'll think nothing of letting Naruto stay there. And since you are Hokage, you can choose teams who don't have any connection to the Council to do some fixing up, thus the council won't know that we're helping Naruto rather than abandoning him like they want us to."

Hiruzen nodded. His son was making perfect sense.

"That… could work." Hiruzen mused. "At least it keeps him out of the orphanages and the council's hands. And if we're showing them the photos… we don't need to tell them _where_ the building actually is."

Yahiko smirked.

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Konohamaru was _exhausted_.

Admittedly, most of the day had once again gone well.

So well, in fact, that he was starting to get nervous about what was lying in wait in the future.

In the morning, Naruto and Yahiko had taken him to the daycare center where Moegi and Udon were, before they had gone off to buy some things that Naruto needed for his new house. Moegi had welcomed him with a hug, like always, but Udon… Udon had looked at him curiously and mentioned that he seemed different.

Fortunately, Konohamaru had been able to divert him with the explanation that he'd got a new big brother who was helping to look after him.

Damn, Udon was incredibly observant.

After a Ramen lunch at Ichiraku's. Yahiko had introduced them to the newly-promoted Tobesku Jonin Ebisu, then had proceeded to demonstrate that even though he had chosen not to become a nnja, he still had the skills needed. Ebisu had been very apologetic about sneering at Naruto… after finally regaining consciousness and giving Eri (and her frying pan) a very wary look.

Yahiku had then started Naruto's chakra-exercise training himself, muttering about finding another person to help who _wasn't_ an idiot. Konohamaru had joined in on some of the more physical-oriented exercises. His chakra wasn't yet at the level that would allow him to start using it, but learning the exercises in advance had seemed like a good idea.

And besides, by joining in, he could _encourage_ Naruto to push himself further.


	4. Boss Training 2

**Chapter Two**

Friendship

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"Konohamaru, you get back here _right_ now!"

Konohamaru grinned as he ran away from Naruto, laughing. Naruto chased after him, a wide grin marring what would have been a perfectly-executed command to return. As he ran, most of his attention was apparently on escaping, but he was also concentrating on recalling all that Naruto had said in the past about his history.

Unlike the timeline that had led to his return, Naruto hadn't joined the Academy two years early. Instead, he was intending to join with those his own age and this time, he had been properly taught.

From Yahiko, Naruto had learned the art of writing, his calligraphy practised until it was perfect. His writing and mathematical skills were easily those of someone half again his age, if not older, while his memory skills were just as good. His knowledge of history, geography and several other subjects was incredible due to Yahiko's benevolent (albeit somewhat intense) tutelage.

From Eri, Naruto had learned the value of nutrition and how not eating right would stunt his growth. While he was still a keen Ramen eater, it was no longer the only food he would eat. Under Eri's stern yet caring eye, Naruto had learned how to make and prepare a wide variety of meals.

And best of all, he was still a prankster, a highly unpredictable one.

Konohamaru had almost laughed himself silly when he had overheard one of the ANBU reporting to Jiji that Naruto had managed to evade almost a dozen chunin and a jonin for an hour after dropping a paint-balloon on Danzo. Since then, he had managed to guide Naruto to the tree-climbing exercise by making a comment about seeing a ninja standing on a wall, and Naruto's curiosity had led him to asking Yahiko about it, thus setting him on the path to learning the tree-climbing exercise, and from that the branch-leaping skills.

He was starting to learn water-walking as well.

As a result, it only took half the normal amount of time to get anywhere now that Naruto could carry Konohamaru across the rooftops of Konoha. And Naruto had promised to teach Konohamaru when he finally unlocked his own chakra.

The fact that Konohamaru already knew how was something that he was going to keep to himself.

Now it was time for Konohamaru to set in motion another thread of his rebuilt future. If he had anything to do with it, a certain someone wouldn't wait until she was dying before confessing her love to Naruto, and this time, the blond (no-longer-quite-a-total) idiot actually _knew_ what love was.

And there was his… wait, what was going on?

Konohamaru screeched to a halt and felt Naruto stop just behind him, his gaze fixed on a young dark-haired girl being cornered by a trio of older boys.

"Nii-san…?"

"I see them, Ko-kun." Naruto snarled. "Bullies. I _hate_ bullies. Stay here."

Konohamaru blinked, then smiled almost ferally as Naruto sprinted past him, accelerating with a determined expression on his face. As he approached the boys, he leapt into the air and landed on the back of the largest one, ricocheting off while the boy was catapulted into the bushes. As he took down the second boy with a spinning backfist that knocked him down, but which left him open, the third boy noted his arrival and acted.

Konohamaru winced as the third boy kicked out, catching Naruto in the stomach.

"_Eight trigrams, sixteen palms!_"

The girl unleashed a barrage of chakra-enhanced palm-strikes that knocked the third boy down even as Konohamaru ran over.

"Nii-san!"

"I'm… okay, Ko-kun." Naruto gasped as he tried to stand up. The lavender-eyed girl gently took the arm that Konohamaru hadn't grabbed and together, they guided Naruto to a nearby bench so that he could sit down and recover.

"Thanks." Naruto wheezed. "Are you alright…?"

The girl blushed and looked down as Naruto trailed off, his expression quizzical.

"Hyuuga Hinata." She whispered. "Thank-you for saving me."

"Uzumaki Naruto, and this is my little brother Sarutobi Konohamaru, but he prefers to be called Ko."

Konohamaru nodded in confirmation.

"Sarutobi…?"

"Don't call him _Honourable Grandson_ or anything like that, he hates it." Naruto grinned as Konohamaru squirmed onto the bench between them and grinned up at Hinata, who smiled back. "I think he likes you. Okay, I think I'm good now."

Konohamaru nodded and dropped back onto the ground, then lightly tagged Hinata.

"It!"

Hinata blinked as Naruto started to laugh.

"I think that's an invitation to play. Come on, let's get him!"

Hinata's eyes widened, then she started to laugh with joy as Naruto towed her after the fleeing, laughing boy.

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"Hinata, it is time for your lessons. Come."

"H-hai, T-tou-san."

Konohamaru stared up at the strict form of Hiashi, who had appeared almost out of nowhere. Glancing at Hinata, then back at Hiashi, he decided to shatter the tension and tagged Hiashi.

"You're it!"

Hiashi blinked as Hinata and Naruto managed to fight down their laughter.

"…I'm what?"

"Ko-kun…" Hinata said, fighting to not laugh at her father's perplexed expression. "I'm afraid my father does _not_ play games like that."

Hiashi blinked again.

"Hinata, why does this boy look familiar?"

"H… he is Sarutobi Konohamaru." Hinata explained. "I… I've been helping t… to look after him."

"Hinata's nice." Konohamaru interjected. "She's my friend."

Hiashi blinked again.

"Hinata… you've befriended the Hokage's grandson?"

"Y… yes, Tou-san."

"I… see." Hiashi mused slowly. "Well, I approve. Maybe next time, you should bring Hanabi along with you as well. And you are?"

Naruto bowed formally.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, currently the ward of Sarutobi Yahiko and Sarutobi Eri."

Konohamaru grinned. Time to make another change.

"Nii-san is really cool. He's going to teach me to be a great ninja!"

Hiashi blinked. "I… see. How much have you learned?"

"I can tree-walk and branch-leap already and am working on water-walking." Naruto replied, noting the look of awe that Hinata was giving him. "Tou-san… I mean Yahiko-san told me that I have so much chakra that the leaf exercise wouldn't do me any good except as a fine-control exercise when I get older, so I skipped that for now."

"Nii-san carries me across the roofs!" Konohamaru interjected and Hiashi raised an eyebrow.

"You are indeed advanced for your age." Hiashi admitted.

"I need to be advanced with Ko-kun." Naruto grinned, giving both Ko and Hinata a quick wink. "He's got almost as much energy as me. Fortunately, Hinata-sama offered to help look after him today. I don't think I would have survived without her help."

"I'm not that bad." Konohamaru pretend-sulked, sticking out his lower lip in a pout, and Hinata tried to hide her giggles. Hiashi's eyebrows lifted slightly higher.

"I… see. Well, I wish you both a good day. Hinata, come."

Hinata quickly bowed to Konohamaru and Naruto before scurrying after her father.

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"That boy is Uzumaki Naruto. He does not have a very good reputation with the council."

"H… he…"

Hiashi cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"Yet today I saw that he has been entrusted with the wellbeing of the grandson of the Hokage, a task he seems to perform with great diligence."

Hinata stared up at her father, trying to work out what he was getting at.

"Did he do anything… dishonourable?"

Hinata blinked in confusion. What was her father talking about?

"I see." Hiashi stated, confusing her even more as she hadn't said anything. "That is reassuring. I had my doubts about the council's stance, their claim that he is a no-good individual and a threat to the village."

Hinata nodded, then frowned slightly as a though hit her.

"Konohamaru-kun said something earlier… that Naruto-san looked like the Yondaime Hokage."

Hiashi halted dead in his tracks, a look of surprise passing across his features.

"The Yondaime… eyes… hair… could it be…?"

"Tou-san?"

Hiashi shook his head. "I will need to check a few things, but if what I suspect is true… Hinata, I approve of your friendship with Naruto. In fact, I would advise you to spend more of your free time with him."

Hinata stared in shock at her father.

"And speak to _no-one_ what Konohamaru mentioned." Hiashi added. "I will not see the son of my friend killed by an enemy of his father. Now, it is time for your lessons and I need to see the Hokage about something."

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"Good evening, Hiashi-sama. What brings you here?"

Hiashi closed the door behind him and looked round, Byakugan active, before nodding.

"I assume the ANBU here can keep quiet about what is probably an SS-class secret."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, then made a brief motion.

"They are gone."

"Except this one." Hiashi stated, throwing a kunai into the corner. A blank-masked figure faded into view, the kunai buried in his leg and Hiashi stepped over.

"You are within range of my divination. _Eight trigrams, sixty-four palms!_"

The barrage of Jyuken strikes sent the figure into the wall and it collapsed bonelessly. Hiruzen stared.

"You may need to send this one to Ibiki." Hiashi said coldly. "Now, I need to talk about your grandson's… older brother."

"What happened, and how expensive is it?" Hiruzen sighed and Hiashi smirked slightly.

"No, not a prank this time. He is Minato's son, is he not?"

"How did you know that?" Hiruzen gasped, lunging to his feet and Hiashi smirked in triumph.

"I only _suspected_ it until now. So, Minato chose his own son to seal the Kyuubi into. How are his lessons going?"

"Very well." Hiruzen said slowly, sitting back down. "He is going to enroll in the academy soon."

"As is my daughter." Hiashi noted. "Have the civilians changed the graduating syllabus?"

"Test, _henge_, _kawarimi_ and _bunshin_." Hiruzen confirmed. "Why?"

"Naruto has a _lot_ of chakra, I could _feel_ it when I encountered him." Hiashi said. "If he is anything like Uzumaki Kushina… _is_ she his mother?"

Hiruzen nodded and Hiashi resumed his comment.

"If he is anything like Kushina, his chakra levels mean that he will be unable to perform the normal _bunshin_ due to the fact that he will need greater than med-nin levels of control, thus letting the council halt his advancement. Might I suggest instead that he learns the _Kage Bunshin_ like she did? And soon. Maybe _before_ he actually starts the academy."

Hiruzen frowned. "Why are _you_ so concerned about him?"

"His parents were my friends." Hiashi said with a slight smile. "And the civilian council has recently annoyed me greatly. I would see Naruto become the rookie of the year even if only to savour the expressions on their faces. And Hinata seems more… relaxed and less shy when she is around him. If he can help her improve, I will have less problems with the clan council."

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "I think I follow. You are suggesting that they spend more time together?"

"I am indeed." Hiashi said. "Although, outside this office, I never said that."

"Then what did you say?" Hiruzen asked wryly.

"Simple." Came the response. "In order to foster closer relations between the Hyuuga clan and the Sarutobi clan, I wish to introduce Hanabi to Konohamaru to see if they can become friends. Naturally, Hinata will go along to oversee their meeting since she is very protective of her little sister. And if Naruto is there… well, that is just a co-incidence."

"It would be good for Konohamaru to have a friend his own age who isn't over-awed by who he is related to." Hiruzen mused. "This seems like a very good plan to me."

"I hoped that you would see it that way." Hiashi said, a faint smile barely visible on his lips.

.

Konohamaru blinked in surprise as he opened the door.

The girl staring at him was… unexpected.

He knew who she was, of course. Hyuuga Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. A girl who would become the second genius of the Hyuuga clan and the wife of his best friend Udon. A strong-willed girl who respected intelligence and willpower and who had been one of his favourite sparring partners since she refused to hold back against him like so many others did.

And he hadn't met her in the future-that-now-was-not until he had started going to the Academy.

What was going on here?

"Hello, Ko-kun."

"Hinata-san!" Konohamaru grinned, looking up at Hinata with a wide smile. "Naruto's helping Jiji with.. bucasy?"

Hinata blinked several times as she thought about what he had just said, then realisation dawned. "Bureaucracy?"

"That's it." Konohamaru nodded. "Long word. Jiji _hates_ bua… bera… barac… what you said. But they'll be back soon. Come in. Mum! Hinata-san's here!"

A few seconds passed, then Eri emerged from the kitchen. "Hinata-chan, come in! And this must be your sister, Hanabi. Father told me about you, welcome to the Sarutobi mansion."

"Thank you." Hanabi said quietly, then she turned round quizzically as Hiruzen and Naruto seemed to appear out of thin air behind them, laughing.

"…can't believe I _never_ thought of doing that." Hiruzen chortled. "I always wondered how Minato managed to get the dratted paperwork done so fast."

"It's a really cool jutsu." Naruto agreed. "It'll be really useful."

"And you can study more." Hiruzen shot back, his grin widening as Naruto dramatically flinched.

"Study? STUDY? NOOOOOooooooooo! It's a _fate worse than death_!"

Eri managed not to laugh at Naruto's over-the-top dramatics, but Konohamaru wasn't nearly as restrained and his laughter echoed through the house.

"Gomen, but what are you talking about?" Hinata asked in confusion and Naruto grinned.

"Jiji taught me a really cool jutsu since I have too much chakra for a normal _Bunshin_. It's called the _Kage Bunshin_, watch!"

Naruto formed a handseal that Konohamaru knew by heart and an instant later, there were five Naruto's in the room and another dozen outside. Hinata's eyes widened momentarily in shock, then her eyes glazed over and she collapsed, a trail of blood leaking from her nose.

"Hina-chan!"

In a rush, the massed Naruto's surged forwards, several of them gently picking Hinata up and carrying her carefully into the living room while others dashed off, returning with sheets, a pillow and a glass of water. Konohamaru peeped into the living room just in time to see three of the Naruto's fussing as they tucked the sheet up around Hinata while another gently slid the pillow under her head.

"They're solid!"

Konohamaru nodded in response to Hanabi's gasp of realisation. "Yep, now I've got _loads_ of nii-sans!"

.

"…what happened?"

"You fainted." Eri smiled at the confused girl who was propping herself up on the settee, the blanket that had been covering her puddling on the floor. "I'm not surprised, one Naruto is a handful, a dozen of them? I was quite amazed, myself."

"Hanabi?!" Hinata gasped, jolting upright on the settee.

"Playing with Konohamaru." Eri said reassuringly. "Well, studying,anyway. Yahiko is giving them pointers in calligraphy. Naruto's also doing some studying, he's got a dozen of his clones reading various books and scrolls, we're going to start him on sealing now that his calligraphy's good enough."

"…it wasn't a dream." Hinata whispered, blushing furiously and Eri's smile widened.

"No, it was real. I think he'll be passing the genin test when it's time to graduate. So, before he comes charging in here en masse_ again _to make sure you're fine, what do you think about him?"

Hinata's blush seemed to turn incandescent and Eri only just managed to not laugh. Reaching out, she placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Not quite eight, yet you've got quite a crush on him, haven't you?"

Hinata, face concealed in the collar of her jacket, nodded slightly.

"I think he quite likes you as well." Eri said. "When you fainted, he was really worried. Why did you faint, anyway?"

"All… all those Naruto's…" Hinata whispered, cheeks flaming. Eri nodded understandingly.

"I can see how it could be… overwhelming. Try to calm down, I'll tell him that you're alright."


	5. Boss Training 3

**Chapter Three**

Academy

.

"Hinata-sama!" Naruto chirped as Hinata left the Hyuuga compound. "First day of the academy today! Come on!"

Hinata blushed, but the visits she had paid to the Sarutobi mansion for the previous few months had seen her learn to be around Naruto without fainting.

"Naruto-san… why are…"

Naruto shrugged as he took Hinata's hand, quirking an eyebrow as she inadvertently _eep_'d.

"Well, I checked with your dad and he mentioned that that grumpy cousin of yours would be escorting you, and he's just _so_ depressing with all that _fate_ stuff of his."

Hinata didn't know whether to blush or pale since she _knew_ that Neji was barely five paces behind her and had undoubtably overheard what Naruto had said.

"It is fated that you will be escorted to the Academy today." Naruto said in a perfect impersonation of Neji and Hinata frantically fought down her urge to laugh even as Neji growled in annoyance from behind them. Naruto's eyes widened and he glanced backwards.

"Uh-oh, looks like he was closer than I thought… hold on!"

Hinata gasped as Naruto swung her onto his back and accelerated rapidly before leaping in a prodigious chakra-enhanced leap that many Jonin would have been happy to have been able to perform. Konoha seemed to blur past them as Naruto sprinted across the rooftops, leaping over alleys and occasionally bouncing off tree-branches before landing in a perfect three-point crouch by the gates of the Academy. For a long moment, neither of them moved, then Naruto spoke.

"Ummm, Hinata, are you alright?"

Hinata blushed furiously as she realised that she was still holding tightly onto Naruto. Unwrapping her legs from his waist and releasing her grip on his shoulders, she dropped to the ground as Naruto stood up.

"Sorry about that." Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "I tend to do that a lot with Ko-kun whenever we get into troub… _ahem_, I mean, when we need to go somewhere, so I just kind of… ummmm… sorry?"

"I… It's alright, Naruto-kun." Hinata half-whispered as a heavily-breathing Neji touched down nearby. "You're really fast."

"Meh, not really." Naruto shrugged. "I can only avoid the ANBU and other Jonin for a couple of hours. Less if Inu-san and Maito Gai join in. Inu uses dogs to keep track of me, while Gai is…"

Naruto shuddered and Hinata looked at him quizzically.

"Just… if you hear anyone shouting about _flames of youth_, run the other way. Trust me on that."

"H… hai, Naruto-kun."

"You… you… Hinata… sama… run… carry…" Neji panted, then he paused and took several deep breaths to gather himself.

"It is undignified for one of Hinata-sama's station to be… _carried_ like a common backpack." He half-snarled and Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah… well, I haven't quite got the hang of Shunshin yet."

Neji blinked at the apparent non-sequitor which was just enough time for Naruto to deploy a dozen Kage Bunshin, half of whom promptly _henged_ to look like Hinata. A moment later, they all scattered with the Naruto's towing the Hinata's behind them, leaving Neji stood in confusion. A moment later, he realised what had just happened.

"_NARUTO!_"

.

"I can't believe you did that to him." Hinata half-scolded as Naruto led her into the classroom. From behind the teacher's desk, a chunin with a scar across the bridge of his nose looked up. "He was only trying to do his duty."

"No, he was only being _trying_." Naruto grinned as he guided Hinata to a pair of seats. Pausing long enough to ensure that she was seated, he flopped into the other chair.

"Oh, Naruto." Hinata sighed in humerous resignation. "Whatever am I going to do with you."

Naruto grinned wickedly and leaned across to whisper into her ear. The chunin watched as Hinata's eyes widened and her face turned red, then her eyes rolled up and she fainted into Naruto's waiting arms, a small trickle of blood leaking from her nose and a wide smile on her face. Naruto smiled gently down at her and carefully shifted her so that she was resting against him, his arm supporting her as her head rested on his shoulder.

"What did you _do_ to her?" The chunin half-laughed and Naruto gave a sheepish grin.

"Well, I heard Eri-kaasan say the same thing to Yahiko-tousan once and I was close enough to hear his reply, so I just used it on Hinata-chan. I didn't expect her to faint, though."

The chunin shook his head and looked back at his paperwork. "So, she is obviously Hyuuga Hinata and you are… let's see, blond… blond… no, you're _not_ Yamanaka Ino… aha! Uzumaki Naruto."

"Adopted big brother and part time bodyguard of Sarutobi Konohamaru." Naruto grinned. "Also the future Hokage! That's me!"

The chunin nodded. "I'm Umino Iruka and I have to ask, how did you know which classroom you were assigned to? All the others are still outside waiting for me to collect them."

Naruto shrugged as innocently as possible, which only caused Iruka to give him a gimlet stare.

"Oh… ehehehe… alright, ya got me. Jiji let me see some of the files yesterday while I was helping him with his paperwork."

"Jiji?"

"Yeah." Naruto grinned. "He's holding the Hat until I can take it. Ever since I told him that he can use _Kage Bunshin_ to do the work, he's been training me to take over."

"You know about _Kage Bunshin_?" Iruka asked in a tone of surprise and Naruto nodded as he felt Hinata begin to wake.

"Yeah, I've got _way_ too much chakra to ever be able to do a normal _Bunshin_, so I use the _Kage Bunshin_ to practice my chakra control. I've got about two dozen doing tree and water walking, another fifty reading texts that Yahiko-tousan suggested and a dozen looking after Konohamaru-kun and giving Eri-kaasan a hand with the chores… Iruka-sensei, is something wrong?"

Iruka stared at him, wide eyed, then he glanced at the now-recovered Hinata, who nodded in confirmation of what Naruto had just said.

"No, it's just… most kids have trouble learning jutsu before they're ten or so since they need to learn to control their Chakra properly first. For you to have learned _Kage Bunshin_, a Jonin-level technique…"

Iruka broke off and shook his head in amazement. "I think that you've got a good chance of being the Rookie of the year."

Naruto grinned. "And with Hinata-chan being so awesome, she'll be Kunoichi of the year and we'll end up on the same team!"

"I… I'd like that." Hinata smiled, then she turned red again as Naruto wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Uzumaki and Hyuuga!" He declaimed dramatically, "We'll get '_Flee on sight'_ ratings in the Bingo Book, just like the Yondaime did."

Iruka grinned at his entheusiasm.

.

Konohamaru blinked as an ANBU appeared out of nowhere. Before he could do more than inhale in shock, the ANBU grabbed him and he staggered as the whirling disorientation of a _Shunshin_ engulfed him. Trying not to lose his breakfast, he closed his eyes and concentrated on calming his insides. Once he managed to persuade his stomach that emptying itself was not the best idea, he re-opened his eyes and found himself in the Hokage's office, with his grandfather glaring at him.

Oh shit.

A slight movement to one side caused him to look round and his heart almost stopped at the sight of Morino Ibiki looming in one corner while Yamanaka Inoichi leaned against the other corner, both of them watching him with cold eyes.

Double shit.

Konohamaru sighed and sat himself in the seat in front of the desk, raising his eyes to meet his grandfather. There was no sign now of the genial old man who often treated Konohamaru and Naruto to ramen, this was the gaze of the Professor, piercing and analysing.

Time to change the rules. Thank Kami that Rokudaime Naruto had briefed him on several of Konoha's secrets before he had been sent back.

"Code alpha-seven-senju, message in a bottle." Konohamaru stated and Inoichi inhaled sharply. Hiruzen merely raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting. Which Hokage told you?"

"The true Rokudaime, Namikaze Naruto." Ko answered as bravely as he could. "Have Inoichi do a mind dive for confirmation, I still remember the ritual used to send me back, and the reason for it."

A slight move to his left alerted Ko to Inoichi moving closer, but Hiruzen raised a hand.

"You said… _Namikaze_ Naruto?"

"Sure." Ko shrugged. "Boss' dad was the Yondaime, after all. Minato even sealed a _Kage Bunshin_ of himself into the _Shiki Fuin_ to reset it if Naruto ever released eight tails. Kushina left her chakra in the seal to help restrain Kurama and help Naruto when he eventually decides to take the Kyuubi's power for himself. It really helps with his Sage skills, once he gets the Key and he studies under the Toads at Mount Myoboku, that is."

Hiruzen had frozen during the recitation, then he slowly relaxed.

"You two can go, this meeting never happened."

Ko didn't drop his gaze until the door closed behind him, then he slumped back in his seat.

"How did I slip up? Did I push too hard to get him trained?"

"You only slipped with the small details." Hiruzen said, rising from his chair and turning to look out of the window. "However, there were enough small details to let me realise that you were more advanced than you pretended. I had several theories but… message in a bottle protocol. How bad was it?"

"Bad." Ko said as he joined his grandather. "The Five Villages joined in an alliance against the Akatsuki, but it wasn't enough. Their Zetsu army and the use of Edo Tensai to bring back our greatest heroes and use them against us… then Onoki betrayed us and switched sides… at the end, there were barely enough of us to buy enough time for Boss to send me back."

"What were his orders?" Hiruzen asked after a long silence.

"To teach him." Ko said quietly. "To guide him into becoming stronger. Jiji, I know the _Rasengan_ and the _Hiraishin_."

Hiruzen started in shock and stared at his temporally-displaced grandson. "The _Hiraishin_?!"

Ko nodded. "Yeah. Boss and I worked on it, we found a way to modify the seals to create a new version, one that he and I could both use, as well as several others. That's why I'm happy that Boss worked so hard on his calligraphy, it'll _really_ help him with doing the tags."

For several moments, both Sarutobi's remained silent, then Konohamaru spoke again.

"Mizuki was a traitor in the last timeline. He tried to convince Boss that he didn't _hold_ the Kyuubi but that he _was_ the Kyuubi. You _need_ to tell Boss before Mizuki has a chance."

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "How badly did it affect him last time?"

"Bad." Ko answered softly. "He told me that he seriously considered fleeing the village forever. Only the fact that someone that he respected was in danger kept him here. In a way, it was Iruka who saved him."

Hiruzen sighed. "Anything else?"

"The Uchiha Massacre will happen soon, everyone except Itachi and Sasuke will die. It was meant to be just the ninja planning the coup, but someone, we think it was Uchiha Madara, interfered and killed everyone else. Unless you find another way to to solve the problem, and _fast_, we are going to lose the Sharingan."

"But you said Itachi and Sasuke…" Hiruzen started, only for Ko to interrupt.

"Itachi takes the blame and becomes a Nunkenin, joining Akatsuki. Sasuke blames Itachi and goes all emo avenger, betraying Konoha for a chance at vengeance. When he discovers your old team-mates and Danzo signed the extermination order, he goes nuts and tries to destroy Konoha. You dying at the Chunin exams really didn't help."

Hiruzen walked over to his desk and rummaged in a drawer, pulling out a blank scroll and writing brush.

"Tell me everything you can."

.

"Alright class, settle down." The scarred Chunin snapped and the students turned their attention to the front of the classroom. "My name is Umino Iruka, but you will refer to me as Sensei. I am your primary tutor for the next four years."

"My name is Mizuki and I'm the classroom assistant." Smiled the silver-haired chunin as he stood behind the second, slightly smaller desk.

"As I call your name, please stand and give a slight introduction for your classmates." Iruka continued. "I'll show you how it's done. My name is Umino Iruka, I enjoy teaching, I dislike those who waste the opportunities offered to them and my hopes for the future are to guide you into becoming the best ninja you can be. Now, Aburame Shino."

A coat-wearing dark-haired boy stood up near the back and adjusted his shades slightly. "Aburame Shino, I like bugs, dislike those who kill bugs and hope to become worthy of leading my clan."

As the introductions continued, Naruto took the opportunity to look at Hinata, checking that she wasn't going to faint again. When her name was called, it almost came as a surprise to him as Hinata rose, blushing slightly.

"I am honoured to meet you all, my name is Hyuuga Hinata, I like flower pressing and Naruto-kun… I dislike those who hate for no reason and I hope… I hope to become… a good kunoichi."

Blushing for no reason that Naruto could determine, Hinata sat down again.

"You'll become a _great_ kunoichi, believe it!" Naruto whispered to her and Hinata's blush almost glowed.

"Th… thank you… N… Naruto-kun…"

Naruto impulsively hugged her and Hinata gently _eep_'d, then she returned his one-armed hug before sitting upright again, her entire face flushed. Naruto smiled, then turned his attention back to the class just in time to see a black-haired boy stand up.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke, I like training and my otouto Itachi, I dislike fangirls and want to become the best Shinobi that I can be."

Several of the girls sighed as Sasuke sat down, then Iruka read out the Naruto's name. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as the training that Yahiko gave him let him read both teachers body language and expressions. Iruka seemed to associate him with a past tragedy, but was trying to remain professional about it whereas Mizuki simply hated him. Making several mental notes, he stood up as everyone turned to look at him.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are Jiji, Yahiko-sama, Eri-san, Ko-kun and Hinata-chan." Beside him, Hinata barely stifled an _'eep'_. "I dislike those who hate others for the wrong reasons and my dream is to one day take the Old Man's hat and let him retire while I protect the village."

As Naruto sat down, Mizuki gave Iruka a confused look before asking the obvious question.

"The old man?"

"N… Naruto-kun means the H… Hokage." Hinata said quietly, but everyone heard her. Naruto hid a grin as everyone stared at him in shock.

"He… calls the Hokage… the _old man_?" Sakura managed to choke out and Hinata nodded. "Wow. Talk about chutzpa."

For a moment, everyone continued staring at Naruto, then Iruka coughed. "Yamanaka Ino."

A blond girl stood up. "My name is Yamanaka Ino, I like growing flowers, gossip and shopping, I dislike those who make fun of my looks and my dream is to become a true kunoichi."

"An excellent goal." Iruka smiled as Ino sat down, sending a smirk at Sakura. "Here at the Academy, you will learn most of what you need to learn in order to become true ninja, worthy of serving Konoha…"

.

"Hey, Ko-kun! Heya Jiji, early finish?"

"Hi boss!" "Hello, Naru-kun."

Naruto almost grunted as Konohamaru slammed into him, hugging him tightly.

"Whoa there, what happened?"

"Just missed you." Konohamaru replied, his voice muffled as Hiruzen walked over.

"To celebrate your first day at the Academy, I sent one of my ANBU to get some Ichiraku Ramen…"

Hiruzen _'oof'_ed as Naruto promptly glomped him, earning a squeak of protest from Konohamaru. Naruto blushed as he stepped back, letting the younger boy gasp for air.

"Sorry, Ko-kun, I… kinda lost track for a moment."

Konohamaru mock-glared at him. "You just heard the word Ramen, that's all it takes to do that to you."

"You wound me!" Naruto mourned. "_Ramen_ indeed. It's _Ichiraku's _Ramen I worship."

Konohamaru managed not to giggle, but it was quite an effort.


	6. Dancing Kitsune Prologue

_Authorial notes – This was an unusual Naruto story in that I intended to be concentrating on the course his early life could have taken. I have read several stories along the lines of "Kami takes pity on Naruto and grants him supremely overpowered skills" and I thought Naruto holds the Kyuubi, wouldn't it be more likely that he'd get the attention of the fox-god Inari? And with Naruto's pranking nature... it seemed like a match made in... um... (dammit) heaven._

_Also, before anyone tries to flame me for turning the Fox-god into a Fox-goddess and claiming that Kami is male… do you really thing that Deities are limited by human notions of gender?_

_Oh yeah. Almost forgot. I don't own Naruto or any of its derivatives. Before or after it jumped the shark. Seriously, Kishi, 100+ chapters for Naruto to answer Hinata? What the heck were you thinking?_

.

**Prologue**

.

The two-year old boy walked tiredly along the lane, ignoring the gathering dark and the hate-filled glares as he moved like one in a dream. Once again he had been locked out of the orphanage and was now looking for a small corner or sheltered area to sleep in.

As he walked, he was unaware of the being watching him, a being whose golden eyes glowed with warmth, unseen by any of the civilians or shinobi in the area.

"_**Uzumaki Naruto..."**_ mused the being, its voice filled with power, humour and emotions hidden too deep for any mortal to do more than guess at. _**"And the holder of Kurama... It'll be good to see him again, it has been too long."**_

"_**Something got your attention?"**_ a more powerful voice asked and the first being glanced round.

"_**As a matter of fact, Kami-sempai, it has. The kit down there has caught my at him, alone, hungry, abandoned..."**_

"_**And you intend to do something."**_ Kami stated. _**"You know my Law about not interfering. The age of miracles is past, Inari, it passed with the Sage of the Six Paths."**_

"_**I do not intend to perform any miracles."**_ Inari said. _**"I will not take him away in a flash of light, I will not change the world around him. But remember the rest of your Law, Kami. We may intervene in dreams or in our shrines."**_

Kami froze and then turned his gaze towards Inari. After a few moments, he nodded with manifest unwillingness.

"_**Very well, Inari. Although I do not fully approve, I will not seek to halt your actions unless you draw too close to breaking my Law. But it may be a while before he sleeps, and you have no shrine in Konoha."**_

"_**You are mistaken, Kami-sempai."**_ Inari smirked. _**"It has been hidden for over a century, but I have a shrine in Konoha. In fact, the Kit will soon reach it."**_

Kami frowned and glanced down the street. For a few moments, he seemed to stare blankly at a nondescript wall, then a grudging smile formed on his face.

"_**And how long has the shrine actually been **_**there**_**, I wonder? And such a complex fuuinjitsu/genjitsu to cover it. You win this one, Inari. Have you chosen how you will do this? And what about his destined mate?"**_

"_**Do not worry about that."**_ Inari said, fading away. _**"As you planned, the fates of the kitsune kit and the usagi joey will be entwined, and it will be fun..."**_

Kami stood unnoticed on the roof, shaking his head in chagrined amusement.

"_**How do you do it, Inari? You do whatever you want while remaining within my Law... but the day you slip you will return to my Court, and I will have the last laugh..."**_

No-one noticed him vanish.

But then again, only a monk, and a high-ranked one at that, would have been able to have detected even the faintest hint of his presence in the first place.


	7. Dancing Kitsune 1

**Chapter One**

.

The smell of freshly-cooked food drifted through the air, tempting the sleeping boy out of his deep and comfortable sleep. Yawning, he sat up, stretching, then froze, eyes snapping open as he looked round at his unfamiliar surroundings.

"...?"

"Good morning, about time you got up, sleepy-head." a happy, teasing voice said. "There's a robe by your futon, just put it on and come on through."

Naruto blinked as the lady who had cheerfully greeted him vanished back through the door before he could get a good look at her. For a moment, he paused, unsure of how to proceed, then he noticed the pile of fabric by his side. Reaching out, he pulled it towards him and as it unfolded, he smiled. Most of it was orange. Not bright orange, more of a rusty burnt orange, but nevertheless it was indeed the most awesome colour in the world. And on the back was a golden fox, curled up with its tail surrounding it. Without any further hesitation, Naruto pulled on the robe and fastened it with the sash that almost seemed to fasten itself as he fiddled with it, then he trotted to the doorway, looking through to see the lady putting something on the table.

"There you are, come and sit, it's time to eat."

Somewhat befuddled by the friendliness being shown to him, Naruto sat down and watched as the lady placed a plate of food before him, then sat down and began to eat from her own plate.

"Gomen, who you?"

The lady glanced up, then lightly slapped her forehead.

"Oh, I am such a baka! Sorry, it's been simply ages since I last had a guest, I completely forgot. You can call me Sune, and I am the head maiden of this shrine. Well, the only maiden, actually. Welcome to Inari's Shrine... did I get your name earlier?"

"Ummm... Naruto..."

"Maelstrom, hmmm?" Sune smiled. "I can see you'll be a real bundle of energy once you've eaten up."

Naruto stared at the plate of food in front of him, then picked up a fork and tasted it cautiously. A moment later, the fork seemed to blur as Naruto ate as quickly as he could.

"Slow down, Naruto. The food isn't going anywhere, and if you eat slower, it tastes better."

Naruto blinked, then with a great deal of effort he slowed down. True enough, the already-flavourful food seemed to become even better as he caught the subtle spices that enhanced the flavours. All too soon, the food was gone, and Sune gathered the plate and walked off with it. Naruto followed.

"Thanks... I help?"

Sune smiled down at him.

"If you can get some water from the stream so that I can wash up, that would be very nice."

Naruto nodded and headed out, grabbing the bucket.

.

Naruto sat, not daring to move and with his eyes wide, as Sune flowed through a complicated kata with such grace that it seemed to be nothing more than a dance. Her hands flickered through the air, tracing out shapes more sensed than seen while her feet seemed to glide across the gravel, not disturbing so much as a single pebble.

And she was doing all of it with her eyes closed and a gentle smile on her face.

After what seemed like an eternity of perfection, Sune came to a stop, opening her eyes. Naruto remained seated, almost afraid to move and risk breaking the perfect moment.

"That was the Dance of the Gentle Fox, did you like watching it, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded and Suna laughed, her gentle laughter rippling through the air and inviting Naruto to join in.

"Would you like to learn the Dances?"

Again, Naruto nodded, this time with even more eagerness, and Suna held out her hands.

"Come on, then, let's start your first lesson, the Dance of the Joyful Cub, one of the nine Dances. Stand here, with me, then do what I do. First, the left foot, try to flow like the wind, smooth and light. That's good, now your right hand, circle it round, you're doing great!"

Naruto grinned back at Sune, trying his hardest to copy her graceful, flowing movements.

.

"Eat up."

Remembering her gentle correction at breakfast, Naruto picked up the first onigiri and bit into it, pausing to enjoy the rich, almost divine flavour of the fish inside the rice ball. Sune smiled at him.

"Do you like that?"

Naruto nodded and Sune's smile broadened.

"Well, eat as much as you want, there's plenty and it'll help you grow to be big and strong."

Naruto took a second bite, closing his eyes as the wonderful taste flooded his senses. Swallowing, he took a sip of spring water from the cup in front of him, the cool water somehow enhancing the taste of the food. Opposite him, Sute popped a rice ball into her mouth and chewed it slowly, still smiling at him.

.

The brush moved slowly across the flagstones as Sune swept the courtyard, moving with a slow, stately step. Nearby, with a cut-down broom of his own, Naruto helped. His early attempt had raised several clouds of dust until Sune, laughing at his sneezing, showed him how to do the job properly, gathering the dust onto the fabric squares with slow, steady sweeps of the broom, then folding up the fabric and taking it over to the small compost pile in the corner of the vegetable garden, shaking out the cloth before returning for the next load.

Naruto felt his heart fill with pride as he looked round, seeing that he'd managed to sweep quite a few flagstones. Although it was taking him longer than Sune, her approving smile kept him from feeling bad.

.

"Now, this plant is a weed." Sune explained. "Look at the shape of the leaves, remember it. Weeds are plants which grow in the wrong place, which do harm. Left unchecked, weeds will choke the life out of the other plants, so we need to remove the weeds. There are many types of weed, and to pull them out, you hold them near the base, then gently pull, like this."

Naruto nodded, his expression intent as Sune eased the weed from the vegetable patch.

"Can you see another weed? Yes, very good, that's right. Now, hold it at the base like I did, then pull it slowly. Very good!"

Naruto smiled as he placed the pulled weed beside the one Sune had plucked, then he pointed at another.

"Pull?"

"Yes, that is a weed that needs pulling." Sune confirmed and Naruto turned his concentration to the task. No plants would be getting choked by weeds while he was around!

.

Naruto knelt before the table as Sune placed the dish before him. Waiting for her to sit down and start eating, he followed her example and picked up the spoon by the bowl. Moving slowly to try and avoid getting his wonderful new orange kimono any dirtier than it was, he dipped the spoon into the bowl and tried it.

"Do you like it?"

Naruto's nod was almost unneeded as his face lit up with a second sip, he applied himself to the soup as Sune fought down her giggles at his sheer, pure, innocent joy.

.

"What do you mean, he _ran away_?" Hiruzen snarled, his glare fixed on the head of the orphanage, a grey-haired woman who looked as if she was about to lose control of her bladder. "He's barely _two_, why in Kami's name did you let him go?"

The woman tried to speak, but her vocal cords locked up under the pressure of the Killing Intent that the Hokage was producing. A moment later, a blond appeared by Hiruzen's side.

"Inoichi, find out."

The Yamanaka nodded as two ANBU grabbed the woman and held her immobile as Inoichi stood before her, his hands forming the first seal. A moment later, the woman seemed to collapse as he dove into her mind, seeking any memories of the young Jinchuuriki.

"_What are you doing, you little bastard, how dare a monster like you look at me?"_

"_No, you aren't allowed to play with them, demon brat!"_

"_No meals for a week, that'll teach you some manners!"_

"_Monsters don't get new clothes, so stop asking!"_

"_Stealing food? That'll be twenty strokes of the cane!"_

"_You broke your arm? Too bad it wasn't your neck!"_

"_Get out, you bloody monster, and never darken this building again! Why the Yondaime didn't kill you, I have no idea!"_

Inoichi returned to his body and stepped away from the old woman, his face reflecting the total disgust he felt. Hiruzen looked at him, his expression worried.

"What did you find out."

Inoichi's mouth worked as he glared at the woman, then he took a deep breath.

"She chased him out. Forced him to leave. And before that, she… abused him. No food, no new clothes… she wanted him dead, but knew what penalty it would bring. Hokage, please don't ask me to do that again, her mind… it's a sewer of bile and hatred."

"Did she have any idea where he could have gone?"

Inoichi shook his head. "She wanted him out, dead. She didn't care what happened to him."

Hiruzen sighed, then turned and stalked out of the room. As he strode towards the front door, he spoke to the ANBU following her.

"Send the… _bitch_ to Ibiki. Start combing the village, try to find Naruto."

One of the ANBU nooded and vanished and Hiruzen halted as he looked out at the setting sun.

"Naruto, where are you?"

.

Sune smiled down at Naruto, who smiled back at her as he floated in the hot springs, half-supported by her hands under his shoulders. Slowly pulling him to her, she gently cradled him in her arms, letting his head rest on her shoulder as he yawned.

"It's getting late, Naruto." She whispered. "I think it's almost time for you to get some sleep. It's been quite a day for you, hasn't it?"

Naruto nodded sleepily and Sune rose, stepping out of the hot spring without jolting the dozing boy in her arms.

"You have a great destiny, Maelstrom of the Leaf." She continued. "I will help you achieve it."

As she walked towards the room where Naruto had woken up that morning, her form briefly seemed to change and for less than the time it took to blink, she seemed to be a glowing, golden fox.

Naruto didn't even notice, he was fast asleep, truly happy for perhaps the first time in his life.

.

"Still no sign, Lord Hokage. The Hyuuga and Uchiha are all searching as well, but they are having as little luck as we are."

Hiruzen nodded tiredly as he slumped in his chair behind the desk, his hat resting on one corner.

"Rotate the forces to keep them fresh, keep searching." He ordered and the ANBU nodded before vanishing. Sighing, Hiruzen leaned forwards, pillowing his head in his arms.

"Minato." He whispered. "I've failed you…"

As he sat there feeling older than his years, Hiruzen didn't notice when he finally fell asleep.

.

"Jiji!"

Hiruzen jolted upright, finding himself in a grassy field dotted with flowers in colours that he didn't think were possible. A large pond fed by a small waterfall filled one corner of the field while a large mansion was in the background. A copse of trees to one side seemed to hold something large, yet the bushes around it promised that whatever it was would be no danger.

All of this Hiruzen noted in an instant, yet his attention was fixed on the blond figure running towards him.

"Naruto!"

"Jiji!"

Hiruzen caught Naruto as the young boy flung himself at him, swinging him up and embracing him tightly.

"Naruto! I was so worried about you!"

"**He is with me."** A powerful yet gentle voice said and Hiruzen turned to find himself face-to-face with a giant, glowing golden fox. For a moment, his mind seemed to freeze.

"**Please forgive me, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure."** The fox said, her voice filled with amusement at his reaction. **"I believe you may have already guessed who I am."**

"I… Inari…" Hiruzen whispered and the fox inclined her head in confirmation.

"**I am. Naruto was worried that you would miss him, so I brought him with me to your dreams."**

Hiruzen looked around him. "This is a dream?"

"**The answer to that is both yes and no."** Inari responded. **"While you **_**are**_** asleep, **_**this**_** is my realm. I brought you here to my Garden so that you would know Naruto is safe."**

"Where is he?" Hiruzen asked.

"Here!" Naruto laughed, giving him another hug, one which Hiruzen returned. Inari laughed.

"**Again, yes and no. While he is here, he also sleeps in my shrine. By my will, Sune looks after him and will teach him what he needs to learn. How to read, write, count and other things. And when he is old enough, he will join the Academy as you want him to."**

Hiruzen slowly lowered Naruto and smiled as Naruto started running around him.

"What about things like history? Do you have the scrolls? Does this Sune?"

"**Gather the books and scrolls you wish the son of the Yondaime to learn." **Inari said, earning a shocked look from Hiruzen. **"I will tell you where to take them if you do not work it out yourself. For now, though, let him be. He is safe, you have my word."**

Hiruzen nodded, then looked down as a little hand tugged at his robe.

"Flower." Naruto said, holding up a flower which, to Hiruzen's amusement, was bright orange. Hiruzen accepted it, tucking it into his thinning hair, much to Naruto's amusement.

"**Walk, be happy."** Inari said, starting to fade. **"And be reassured, Fire Shadow. You will hold proof he is well soon enough."**

"Jiji!"

Hiruzen stared at the place the giant fox had been, then looked down and smiled at his favourite orphan.

"Fish!"

"Yes." Hiruzen said as he let Naruto pull him towards the pond. "By all means, let's go and watch the fish."

.

Hiruzen blinked as he woke up, feeling more refreshed than he should considering he had fallen asleep at his desk. Sitting up, he blinked as an ANBU appeared before him.

"Lord Hokage," the ANBU said, "There is… a… flower in your hair?"

Hiruzen blinked again, then he raised one hand and his questing fingers found something. Pulling it loose, he held it in front of him, eyes widening in shocked disbelief mingled with amazement as he recognised it.

"Not possible." He whispered.

It was the flower that Naruto had given him in the dream.


	8. Dancing Kitsune 2

**Chapter Two**

.

Naruto bounced into the room, grinning broadly and Sune smiled at him.

"Hello Naruto. Did you sleep well?"

"Sune! Jiji there, gave flower!"

"You dreamed of you grandfather and gave him a flower?" Sune translated and Naruto nodded. "Well, I bet that he was very happy."

Naruto nodded again, then his smile increased as Sune placed a plate of food in front of him.

"Eat up, Naruto. I'm afraid that more chores await us today."

Naruto smiled as he applied himself to the food. The day was barely started, yet it promised to be good.

.

"I've never seen a flower like this before, Lord Hokage. Where did you get it from?"

Yamanaka Inoichi looked up from his examination of the orange flower in the vase, his gaze darting to Hiruzen, who was standing by the window, looking out across the village.

"I know this is going to sound strange, but Naruto gave it to me in a dream."

Inoichi blinked. Of all the explanations he had expected, the one he had just heard hadn't even made it anywhere near to his mental list of possibilities.

"I beg your pardon, Lord Hokage, but did you just say…?"

"That Naruto gave me this flower in a dream." Hiruzen repeated. "Last night, I fell asleep at my desk and found myself in a large field. Naruto was there, looking happy, and there was a golden fox as well, a glowing one twice my height. She said that Naruto was with her, sleeping in her shrine."

"Inari." Inoichi said after a long, thoughtful moment and Hiruzen nodded.

"Yes, Inari the Fox Goddess. She and I talked a bit, then she faded away, leaving Naruto and myself to enjoy the field. We watched the fish in the pond, talked about how he was, and then I woke up to find that the dream flower I had tucked into my hair had somehow come with me."

"And this flower is the one from the dream." Inoichi realised. "Lord Hokage, what are your orders?"

Hiruzen sat down.

"I want you and Shikaku, and Chouza as well if he is willing, to search the archives. Find out if we _do_ have a Shrine to Inari in Konoha, and where it is. Or was."

Inoichi nodded slowly. "Yes, Lord Hokage."

.

Sune smiled at Naruto's cute frown of concentration as he helped to polish the stone statue of Inari. He had started by trying to rub as strongly as he could until Sune had gently corrected him, and now he was slowly and carefully using the cloth to clean the paws of the statue.

"Looking good, Naruto." Sune commented and Naruto looked up at her, his brilliant smile almost outshining the morning sun.

.

Uchiha Fugaku stepped into the Hokage's office.

"You summoned me, Lord Hokage?" He asked emotionlessly and Hiruzen nodded.

"Indeed. As you know, we seem to have lost a certain, high value individual. I would appreciate it if you asked the police to keep an eye out for Uzumaki Naruto. He vanished a couple of days ago, but we think he is probably still in Konoha."

Fugaku raised one brow slightly. "I do not wish to sound like I am questioning you, Lord Hokage, but I know several people who believe that the dem… my apologies, the boy who _contains_ the Demon is rather dangerous. If he is gone, it means that we are no longer at risk of having the Demon unleashed upon Konoha once more."

Hiruzen nodded slowly, hiding his sudden anger behind a professional mask.

"Those who believe that are ignorant. My predecessor used perhaps the ultimate sealing technique to lock away the Kyuubi, there is no risk of it breaking free."

"As you say." Fugaku agreed urbanely. "Do we know if he ran away or if he was kidnapped? Assuming, of course, that he is still alive."

"He was chased out of the orphanage he was in, and I have every reason to believe that he is still alive." Hiruzen responded. "The flower on my desk is proof of that."

Fugaku glanced at the aforementioned flower with disinterest. It was admittedly an odd colour, but beyond that, it was just a flower and wasn't anywhere near as important as gaining new jutsu or power for the Uchiha clan.

"I understand, Lord Hokage. With your permission?"

.

Naruto leaned against Sune's side, her arm wrapped around him as she continued telling the tale as they sat in the porch, watching the rain fall outside.

"…so Kami agreed to let Inari place the stars in the sky while he worked on the land and seas. Using her paws and tail, Inari started to place the stars one at a time into the sky, placing them to form pictures. However, her attention soon wandered to what Kami was doing and she grew bored with her task. Deciding she had spent long enough, she gathered up the stars that she had yet to place and with a great heave of her arms, she threw them into the sky. As the stars landed in the night sky, Inari suddenly realised that she had not done what she meant to do, place a picture of herself amongst the stars, and so she started to cry.

"Her tears fell to the ground and formed great lakes wherever they landed. Kami looked up from his great work and then rose to comfort Inari, to amuse her he created a ring of light and threw it across the sky, leaving a trail of seven colours, and Inari forgot her sadness and chased the ring.

"To this day, the stars show that Inari didn't finish her task how she had planned and the rain shows her eternal regret, but the rainbow is proof that Kami saw nothing wrong, as she had indeed placed all the stars in the sky."

Naruto looked up at Sune as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I'm sorry, that story always gets me like that." Sune explained with a small smile, hugging Naruto, who hugged her back.

.

"A shrine to Inari?" Chouza asked, looking at his blond friend with a confused expression. "Even if there was one, after the Kyuubi attack, it probably got taken down. After all, foxes aren't liked here."

"Troublesome as it may be, there used to be a shrine in Konoha." Skikaku said, earning an odd look from the other two. "It's listed somewhere in my clan's archives. According to our clan lore, Inari bestowed the gift of shadows on the first Nara. It's where our name comes from, we were originally the Nii-Inari, Inari's adopted younger siblings. Over the centuries, the name changed to Ninari, then Nari, then Nara."

Inoichi stared at him for a while before slowly nodded. "Well then, let's get looking in your archives."

Shikaku sighed as he pulled himself out of his chair.

"This is such a drag." He moaned as his two friends exchanged smirks. "But at least it gets me out of the house and away from my troublesome wife. Come on, let's get this over with."

.

Naruto moved as he tried once again to duplicate Sune's movements. Her gentle corrections were filled with love and approval, something that Naruto absorbed like a sponge absorbs water. The gentle flow of the Dance soothed him, calmed his thoughts, relaxed him as he let himself sink into the flow of the Dance, not thinking, just feeling, not excited or depressed, but feeling only a joyful acceptance engulfing him.

Deep inside him, something far larger than anyone could imagine being hidden in such a small form stirred, its ears twitching as the sewer it was imprisoned in started to change, the shadows incrementally retreating as the walls began smoothing out, losing some of the deep scoring and cracks in the brickwork.

Naruto remained unaware of this, he just knew that he wanted to learn the Dances.

.

"There's no shrine there, I've been down that road a hundred times." Chouza stated, staring at the map.

Shikaku shrugged. "Troublesome as it may be, that's where the shrine was. Exactly halfway between the Hyuuga compound and the nearest gate."

"Well then, let's take a look."

The trio moved off.

.

Naruto looked at the trio standing just outside the gateway. Holding Sune's hand, he listened to them arguing.

"You see? There's no shrine here, just an old piece of wall." The large one said.

"This _is_ where it used to be." Said the brown-haired one. "My clan wouldn't make a mistake about a whole shrine."

"But Sarutobi said that the boy was at the shrine of Inari." The blond said slowly. "I wonder…"

Naruto watched as the blond stepped forwards, hand raised, then stopped. After a moment, the blond stepped back, frowning.

"That's a real wall, all right. Wait here."

The blond walked to one side of the gate and a moment later appeared from the other side.

"No sign of anything odd, this is just an old wall."

"Is it?" a familiar voice asked and a very familiar figure appeared. Sune released Naruto's hand.

"Say hello, then bring him inside."

Naruto nodded and sprinted forwards.

.

Hiruzen stood in front of the wall, looking at it curiously.

"So this is where the shrine was, hmmm?"

"Yes it… _what in Kami's name!?_"

All three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio froze, eyes wide, as a blond tornado seemed to erupt out of the brickwork without actually disturbing it and cannoned into Hiruzen with a cry of "Jiji!" before grabbing his hand and pulling him through the solid wall. For over a moment, no-one said anything, then Inoichi extended a shaking hand and pressed it against the wall again.

The wall was solid, yet the Jinchuuriki had gone through it twice, once with the Hokage in tow.

"…Lord Hokage…?"

Hiruzen's head suddenly appeared, as if he was leaning through the wall.

"Wait for me here, you three. Actually, Inoichi, Chouza, go to my office and bring back the trunk I prepared earlier. And don't worry, you were right about the shrine. Now, excuse me for a moment."

Hiruzen vanished back into the solid wall, leaving the trio absolutely gobsmacked. After another few minutes of silence, one of them spoke, summing up the situation perfectly.

"Troublesome…"

.

"So this is the Shrine of Inari, is it?" Hiruzen asked, looking round and the lady that Naruto had excitedly declared was Sune nodded gracefully.

"It is indeed. I am Sune, the Shrine Maiden here, and of course, you already know my new friend and student Naruto. Naruto, would you get a cup of water for your Jiji, he might be thirsty."

"'Kay!" Naruto chirped before running off in a tangle of limbs that should have seen him fall over, but yet he managed, in defiance of all the laws of physics, to make it through the door without incident. Hiruzen watched him go, then seemed to change from kindly old man to the Professor God of Shinobi.

"May I ask what your intentions are towards Naruto." He snapped and Sune looked at him.

"My intentions? My intentions are to give him somewhere safe to live and to grow, to show him he deserves to be loved rather than hated for that which he had no control over, to help him become all that he can be and to eventually surpass his father."

Hiruzen's eyes widened fractionally and Sune nodded.

"I know all about him. He is the son of the Yondaime Hokage and the Red-haired Habenaro. He is the third Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the son of the second to hold it. I know these things… and I will not tell him. That is _your_ task, Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, it is your burden and your responsibility.

"But the time for that is not yet. When he earns his Hitai-ate, that is the time to tell him. When he becomes Shinobi, it will be proof that he is strong enough to take up the burden that he must bear, the responsibility that he must shoulder.

"He will be strong enough to carry his burden, Sandaime Hokage, but the question I must ask is… are you strong enough to bear yours? You are old, you are are reluctant to continue, yet you do so from duty, but many conspire to increase your burden and seize your power while you are not looking.

"Naruto is safe here, you have my word on it. Plant the flower he gave you and it will grow and bloom, a single petal in your hand when you sleep will transport you to Inari's Garden, where you met with him before.

"I will see to it that Naruto learns from the scrolls and books you send. I will teach him how to read and write. I will teach, and when the time comes, he will go to the Academy and learn the ways of the Shinobi."

"Jiji, water!"

Hiruzen turned and smiled at the approaching boy, who was concentrating on not spilling anything from the cup he held. Accepting the drink, he sipped in order to buy some time to think.

"Sune-san, may I ask…"

"What's in it for me?" Sune half-laughed. "Hokage-sama, Inari has an interest in Naruto and wants him protected so that he can grow to become all that he can. As the Maiden of Inari's Shrine, can I do any less?"

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Very well. I cannot think of any place safer than here for him, but he will need to learn to interact with other children. To just grow up alone…"

"He will learn." Sune smiled. "Inari moves in unpredictable ways, and will provide, if we just keep our eyes open."

Hiruzen nodded again.

"I… will take your word for it."

"You may wish to keep Naruto's safety a secret." Sune added. "If your rivals are looking outside the walls to seize his power, you can secure your footing inside."

Hiruzen blinked, then looked down at Naruto who had attached himself to his leg.

"Alright, Naruto-kun, what do you want to show me?"


	9. Dancing Kitsune 3

_If only I owned Naruto._

_Then again, I'd probably only screw it up…_

**Chapter Three**

.

The Kumo diplomat sprinted silently away from the Hyuuga mansion, the bundle in his arms squirming and sobbing in a futile attempt at resistance. A grin played across his face as he glanced down at his burden which would be used to strengthen his homeland, introducing one of the greatest dojutsu into future generations. As he pelted down the road, he passed by an old wall, and that's when everything went to hell for him.

A rope snapped out of the wall and wrapped around the bundle, jerking it from his hands and through the wall. The man tried to stop and tripped, bashing his head against the ground and spiralling into darkness, not noticing as the rope snapped out again, this time looping round his ankles. An instant later, the rope tightened and pulled him straight through the wall as well.

The road seemed to be heavy with an almost supernatural silence as, for several long moments, nothing seemed to happen, and then the the diplomat was hurled back through the wall, landing on the street, wrapped in ropes and unconscious.

Oddly, he didn't have a single bruise on him, except the one on his forehead.

A moment later, a cushion landed on the floor, then a young girl, fast asleep, was gently placed on it by hands that no mortal eye could see.

.

Hiashi and Hizashi stood above the unconscious diplomat, totally confused. They had chased him, intending to capture him and bring him to justice for trying to kidnap Hinata, but the situation they had discovered made no sense at all.

The diplomat was tied up, trussed so securely that it would take quite a while to free him even with the use of kunai, but a long pole was attached to his bindings allowing him to be carried with ease.

Hinata, on the other hand, was lying fast asleep against the old wall, curled up on a large embroidered cushion, a white-and-silver fox-and-rabbit-patterned robe her size draped over her to keep her warm, a golden fox-plushie in her arms and a huge smile on her face.

"…we owe someone a favour for this." Hizashi said slowly. Hiashi could only nod as he bent down to gently pick up his daughter while two of the other Hyuuga who had followed them picked up the would-be kidnapper, placing the pole on their shoulders to carry him back. Another picked up the cushion, almost absently brushing off the small bits of dirt as he did so.

From the other side of the wall, unseen by the Hyuuga, hidden even from the Byakugan, Sune watched them leave, a gentle yet satisfied smile on her face.

.

Hinata looked around in confusion. One moment, she had been grabbed from her sleep and stuffed into a sack, the next she was sitting up in a large, grassy field, a boy she had never seen before smiling at her.

"Hello."

"Hello." Hinata whispered. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"**You are in my Garden."** A gentle voice said from behind her. Hinata looked round and her eyes widened at the sight of the giant golden fox that was lying down nearby, its gentle gaze filled with reassurance and love resting on her. **"You are asleep and your dreams brought you here, little rabbit."**

Hinata simply stared and the fox laughed.

"**Kit, show usagi around, she has had a bit of a shock. Why not… watch the fish? Or listen to the birds?"**

With a crow of joy, the boy that the fox referred to as Kit pulled her to her feet and pulled her towards a pond. Behind them, the fox laughed again.

"**Have fun, children."**

.

Sune looked down with a smile at the sleeping form of Naruto who was cuddling the white rabbit plushie, then her gaze lifted. Hiding a frown, she silently walked out into the main courtyard and stood glaring at what anyone else would have thought was an empty patch of air.

"What is it _this_ time?"

The figure of Kami seemed to fade into view, power rippling like an aura of a thousand stars.

"_**You acted outside your Shrine."**_

"Nonsense." Sune said. "I remained inside the shrine at all times, the rope was the one used to tie the trunk that Hiruzen sent closed and the plushie was purchased by order of the Hokage."

Kami glared at her. _**"Your actions affected what was beyond your Shrine."**_

Sune shrugged. "So do the things you do in dreams and the advice you give in your Shrines. I see no difference. Besides, by tradition, the half of the street in front of the gate counts as part of my Shrine too, so it is easy to argue that I remained within my Shrine and purposefully held back."

Kami seemed to deflate slightly. _**"I should have known that you would have a counter-argument ready. Very well, **_**this**_** time I will not interfere, but should you come this close to breaking MY LAW again, I will not be so lenient."**_

Sune bowed slightly while hiding her smirk. "As you command, Kami-sempai."

Kami glowered at her, then vanished, leaving no sign that he had ever been there. Sune smiled and started to fade.

"Time to check that everything is going well."

.

Hinata leaned against Naruto's side, her head pillowed on his shoulder as they watched the soothing, graceful shapes of the fish as they slowly glided along just under the surface of the pond, occasionally vanishing under the floating lily leaves. Naruto's arm curled protectively around her and she smiled as she felt his cheek pressing against the top of her head.

"**I am glad to see you two are getting along so well, but I am afraid it is time for you to wake up, little usagi."**

Hinata blinked and the Garden seemed to whirl away into darkness as a familiar voice spoke.

"Hinata-chan, are you alright?"

"Kaa-san?"

Hinata opened her eyes and saw Hitomi looking down at her with worried eyes. Sitting up, she found herself being embraced.

"Kaa-san, what happened?"

"You're safe now." Hitomi smiled, hugging her daughter. "That's all that matters."

Hinata looked round, then down at the fox plushie that she was holding.

"I… I thought it was a dream?"

"What was?"

"I… was in a garden, with a golden fox and a boy and we were watching fish." Hinata said, tightening her grip on her new plushie. "The fox called him Kit."

"That sounds like a wonderful dream." Hitomi said, smiling down at her daughter. "But it's almost midnight, so it's time for you to get some proper sleep."

Hinata nodded, trying not to yawn, and lay down on her bed. As she did so, she realised that the pillow had been replaced with one embroidered with foxes and rabbits. Hitomi smiled at her.

"I'll try to explain everything tomorrow. Get some sleep.

"Okay kaasan." Hinata smiled. "Goodnight."

.

"Usagi-hime! You're back!"

Hinata opened her eyes and smiled at the boy.

"Hello Kit-san!"

Kit pulled her into a hug and Hinata froze for a moment, surprised at the open display of affection, before she relaxed into his embrace. Resting her head against his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, then released him and stepped back, looking into his sky-blue eyes at arms length. A spark of mischief flashed through her mind and she quickly kissed him on his lips.

"…usagi-hime?"

"That's for being my friend." Hinata managed to say even as she blushed fiercely. Kit looked at her, then slowly enfolded her in another gentle hug.

"I… I never had a friend my age before…" he half-whispered. "Now I have you, Sune, Inari…"

Hinata felt Kit's tears tricking down where their cheeks were pressed against each other.

"Will you be my friend forever?"

"Always." Hinata said, returning his hug even as she looked past him and met the approving, gentle gaze of the golden fox. "As long as you want me, I'll be your friend, Kit. I promise."

.

Hiashi put down his saucer of sake as Hitomi entered his office.

"She's asleep. Hugging her new plushie and smiling happily. Although there were a couple of tears on her cheek, for some reason, but she seems to be fine now."

"Good." Hiashi said, glancing over at his brother, who nodded.

"I have increased the guards for tonight and tomorrow I will change the guard schedule. What happened made it clear that our current security arrangements have several holes in them. Those holes _will_ be dealt with."

Hitomi seated herself and, without asking, poured herself a saucer of sake and swallowed the drink in a single gulp.

"What news about… _him_?"

"Inoichi scanned him while he was still unconcious." Hizashi replied. "His primary mission was to kidnap Hinata for her Byakugan and breeding potential. His secondary mission, should he fail his primary, was to inspire a political dispute that would allow Kumo to get their hands on a sample of the Byakugan. If he had died, Kumo would have demanded your head, brother."

Hiashi flinched and accepted the saucer that Hitomi poured for him.

"We _really_ owe a debt to whoever stepped in." He admitted. "Any clue who it was?"

"The robe is like nothing I have seen before, I have no idea what it is made of." Hitomi said, staring into her refilled sake dish. "The pillow is made of the same fabric, the fox plushie something very similar. The fox and rabbit pattern… I have no idea about. I know of no clan in Konoha that has either as its symbol."

"Did Hinata say anything?"

"Only that she had a dream about being in a garden with a golden fox and a young boy named Kit." Hitomi shrugged, downing her drink and holding the dish out for Hiashi to refill. "I don't think she has any idea of who saved her."

Hiashi nodded. "Then I shall tell everyone not to mention the fox plushie or the cushion. Should the rescuer, whoever he or she may be, finally decide to approach us, seeking payment of the great debt that we owe them, they will be able to prove the truth of their words by mentioning the gifts they left her with."

"A good plan." Hizashi concurred. "As for the robe… I think that Hinata should wear it next time she goes outside the clan compound. Maybe it will inspire her rescuer to approach us."

Hitomi nodded. "I agree. But what will we tell the Hokage? How can we explain this?"

A long silence seemed to descend, then one of them broke it.

"We tell him the truth. We tell him we do not know _yet_ who provided aid to us on this night. When we find out, we will offer an alliance to them."

Hizashi nodded. "I agree, brother. But I must ask, how did _he_ know about the gaps in our security? How did _he_ know where Hinata's bedroom was?"

Hiashi opened his mouth, then froze. A moment later, his jaw snapped shut and his normally controlled expression twisted into one of barely-restrained fury.

"There is a traitor in the Clan Council. Maybe more than one." He ground out. "That is the only way that the events of this night make any sense."

"Then we need to find the traitor and kill them." Hitomi stated.

"_After_ finding out why they did so." Hizashi interjected and the other two looked at him. "We need to know the why, brother. Was it an attempt to gain an alliance with Kumo, to get Kumo to perform a mission for the clan? Was it an attempt to destroy you politically, rendering you easy prey for those who are opposed to your attempts to change the clan? Is someone seeking to render you unfit to lead us? We need to know what the attack was meant to achieve and if there are any more attacks planned."

For almost a moment, the trio remained silent, each wrestling with their own thoughts.

"We shall discuss this further tomorrow." Hiashi eventually said.

.

"Good morning, tousan."

Hiashi turned towards his daughter and froze, his eyebrows lifting slightly.

"Hinata, what is that in your hair?"

Hinata stared at him for a moment, then slowly reached up. Her hand lightly touched the bright orange long-stemmed flower that had been placed in her hair, then she slowly brought it down so that she could stare at it with disbelieving eyes.

"Kit?"

"Kit?" Hitomi repeated curiously as she entered behind her daughter. "Who or what is Kit? Is this the boy you were dreaming of?"

Hinata nodded, a blush spreading itself across her cheeks.

"Yes, kaasan. In my dream, he put this flower in my hair and said it was a gift for my garden… but it was a dream! I don't understand how… how… I don't understand."

"Consider it a gift from Inari." A new and familiar voice said and everyone looked round to see Sarutobi standing in the entrance. "_That_ is a mystical flower. For now, I would advise planting it and letting it grow. Make sure it has a full bed to itself, it will grow quite fast once planted."

"But… it is… _orange_." Hiashi stated, staring at the flower cupped in his daughter's hands.

"Tousan…?"

Hiashi sighed as Hinata's pleading expression effortlessly smashed through all of his defences.

"Alright. The south-east garden is not used very much, you can plant the flower in one of the beds there."

Hinata's face lit and she took a step before Hiashi's cough stopped her in her tracks.

"_After_ breakfast."

"Yes, tousan."

Hiashi turned to the Hokage, one eyebrow raised. "_Mystical_ flower?"

Hiruzen nodded with a gentle smile. "I received one myself. I now have an entire line of orange along the edge of my garden."

"We shall discuss this later." Hiashi finally decided.

.

"Kit!"

"Usagi-chan!"

Hinata embraced her new dream-friend, then a familiar chuckle caught her attention. Letting Kit, go, shelooked past him and her eyes widened as Kit turned round to look.

"Jiji!"

Hinata's mouth dropped open in shock as Kit charged across and tackle-hugged Hiruzen, who smiled and returned the hug. Gathering her courage, Hinata took a step forwards, then froze as Hiruzen looked at her.

"It's alright, Hinata. There is no rank in the Garden of Inari."

"Hinata?" Kit asked curiously, then he shook his head. "Usagi-chan!"

"Little rabbit?" Hiruzen half-asked with a smile. "Well, I'm sure that you look after her."

"She's my friend." Kit stated, releasing his grip and dashing to Hinata's side. Hinata blushed as Kit gave her another hug, but she returned it, burying her face against the side of his neck and inhaling his scent.

"So I see." Hiruzen chuckled. "So I see. Why don't you run along, I need to talk with Inari about adult stuff that would probably bore you both to tears."

The two children scampered off towards the pond and Hiruzen sighed.

"Ah, the joys of youth."

"**A thing to be trasured."**

Hiruzen turned and bowed to the golden fox. "Inari-Sama. Thank you for rescuing Hinata, the Hyuuga clan owe you a great debt."

"**But they do not know yet to whom it is owed."** Inari smiled. **"No need to worry, I know that you decided to wait and speak to me before doing anything about it, given that the intervention was on my orders."**

Hiruzen nodded. "So, what should I do?"

"**I cannot keep the kit in the temple for too much longer without compromising his future."** Inari said, watching as Naruto placed a flower in Hinata's hair, getting a giggle and a kiss on the cheek in return. **"He will need somewhere to stay, someone to teach him the ways of the ninja. Sune is making sure that he can read and write as well as imparting the knowledge that he needs, but when he goes to the Academy and starts the path of the ninja, the Shrine will have served its purpose."**

"I see." Hiruzen mused as he sat down on the grass. Inari curled up behind him, letting him use her haunch as a backrest while her head looked over his shoulder. "I will make the preparations."

"**Do not separate the Kit from the Usagi."** Inari said quietly and Jiruzen nodded once again, his mind going through all the possible plans.

"Should whoever takes him in learn about his heritage?"

Inari nodded. **"Yes, but let the kit enjoy his youth. When he takes the Hitai-ate, then will be the time for him to learn about his parents and their sacrifice."**

"And the Kyuubi?" Hiruzen asked quietly, watching as Hinata snuggled into Naruto's side as they sat watching the fish in the pond, dangling their feet so that their toes just touched the surface.

"**Again, when he becomes a Genin."** Inari said. **"Until then, let them grow as they need to, let them be happy."**

Hiruzen nodded as in the distance Hinata giggled at the feeling of the fish gently nibbling on her toes.


	10. Different Path Prologue

_Kishimoto owns Naruto and all derivatived works._

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**Prologue**

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Naruto sighed as he looked out over Konoha from atop the cliff holding the faces of the four Hokages of Konoha.

Sure, he was going to become Hokage some day, he _knew_ that, but entering the Chunin exam…

His mind drifted back to the mission that he and his team (team, ha!) had completed in the Land of Waves. During the mission, all he had learned was tree-walking. Sasuke had managed to awaken his shinug… shoring… _Sharingan_, that was it, giving him a massive boost. Even Sakura had come out better with her perfect chakra control and Kakashi-sensei giving her taijitsu tips, but what had he learned?

Tree walking.

And he still wasn't very good at doing it.

His only real Jutsu was his _Kage Bunshin_ and they were only really good for weakening an enemy since they burst too easily.

He needed to learn more Jutsu, but how? Kakashi kept refusing to teach him, spending time helping Sasuke with his fire jutsu and Sakura would simply pound him again.

Naruto sighed. He just wasn't ready. Unless he used the Kyuubi's chakra like he did on the bridge, he was hopeless. Even Sakura could beat him in taijutsu and she was using the basic Academy style, not the advanced form that Mizuki had…

Naruto snarled as he finally made a connection that he really should have made months ago.

He was the only one taught that style and almost everyone could beat him in a spar. Mizuki had taught him a bad style and only his pain tolerance and sheer stamina got him through the real fights.

There was no choice.

Until he got better, until he learned a _proper_ style and got some more Jutsu to use, he just wasn't ready for promotion.

He'd send a _Kage Bunshin_ tomorrow to wish his team-mates good luck while he went to the library to search out scrolls on taijutsu.

Naruto nodded as he rose from his seat, unaware that his decision had just changed the course of the future.


	11. Different Path 1

_Kishimoto owns Naruto and all derivatived works._

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**Chapter One**

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The alarm sounded and Naruto pulled himself out of bed, yawning. Getting up, he staggered into the bathroom and switched on the shower, letting the shock of the cold water finish waking him up as he reached for the lye soap. Wincing at its harshness, he scrubbed himself all over to get clean, then switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist as he headed for the kitchen to make his breakfast. As he did so, he glanced at the calender.

"Urgh, need to do some training, but where… Iruka would know where a quiet place is! Maybe practice my kunai thowing, I _suck_ at it…"

The whistling of the kettle caught his attention and he quickly turned off the stove before pouring the hot water into a pot of instant ramen.

"Instant Ramen, why do they call it instant." He groused, slowly stirring it. "Shoud be called _three-minute_ ramen, not _instant_ ramen… why does this take so long! Why do three minutes pass like a damned three hours waiting for Kakashi-sensei? Grrrrr…"

After far too long for the blond's liking, the ramen was finally ready and he grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"Itadakimasa!"

Within a minute, the pot was empty and Naruto threw it into the bin.

"Ahh, that hit the spot. Alright, time to get dressed and then find Iruka."

.

Iruka sighed as he worked his way through the folders arrayed on the desk before him. Despite the fact that the Chunin exams were about to happen (and the Academy had been temporarily closed down for the first stage), the paperwork was still somehow piling up.

He would even take having to deal with another prank by Naruto rather than…

"Iruka-sempai!"

Iruka looked up as Naruto pulled himself in through the window.

"Heya, Iruka, I've been looking for you!"

"Naruto." Iruka smiled, "I'm afraid that I have a deadline, so I can't treat you to…"

"Nah, don't want that at the moment." Naruto interrupted, causing Iruka to stare at him in shock. "I need some advice, Iruka-sensei. My chakra-control still sucks even though I can tree-walk. What other exercises are there?"

Iruka leaned back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as Naruto performed one of the best _Puppy Dog Eyes no Jutsu_ he had ever seen a male perform. "Well, the next stage is generally water-walking. It's like tree-walking, but takes more chakra and you have to keep changing the amount because the water keeps flowing."

"Right!" Naruto exclaimed. "Water walking! And that'll help with my chakra control and learning more jutsu!"

Iruka frowned slightly. "Naruto, after… that night, I did some research into the _Kage Bunshin_. Did you know that when a clone dispells, everything it learns gets sent back to the original and any other clones?"

Naruto looked at him blankly and Iruka sighed. "Look, make a clone for me."

A puff of smoke marked the appearance of a second Naruto and Iruka rose.

"Okay, original Naruto, stay here, clone, with me."

Naruto nodded and sat down as Iruka and his clone walked out the door. A moment passed, then Naruto blinked as Iruka re-entered.

"Excellent! I'll head there to do it!"

"Head where?"

Naruto stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "The small lake you just told me about."

"I told your _clone_ about it." Iruka pointed out and Naruto's eyes widened so much that Iruka thought that they were about to fall out of there sockets.

"Whoa! That's cool! Freaky, but cool!"

"It'll help with your chakra control." Iruka shrugged. "Make fifty clones to do tree-walking and fifty to do water-walking. Every five minutes or so, dispell the best clone of each and the memories of how to do it should help all the other clones do it better. Once all the clones are gone, you should be really good at both. Just don't dispell too many at once or the influx of memories might knock you out."

"Whoah." Naruto breathed, then he lunged forwards and hugged Iruka. "Thanks! I _knew_ that you'd be able to help me with that! Thanks, Iruka-sensei! You're much better than Kakashi-sensei at teaching cool stuff!"

Before Iruka could respond, Naruto had released him and dived out of the window.

"I hope he remembers that he has the chunin exam today." Iruka sighed as he sat back down.

PPPPPHHHhhhttthhhhhhttttttt!

Iruka sighed, then stood up. Lifting the cushion, he pulled out a now-deflated whoopee cushion that had been concealed beneath it. Looking at the whiskered chibi drawn on it, a figure giving the victory sign, he sighed with a wry grin.

"Alright, he got me."

.

"Hey, boss, watcha doin'?"

"Hey, Konohamaru." Naruto smiled at the leader of the trio who were jogging up after him. "Training, tree-walking and water-walking, once I grab a swimsuit."

"Cool! Can we come?" Konohamaru asked and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Well, okay, but who are your friends?"

"I'm Moegi!" The girl stated proudly.

"And I'm Udon." The boy sniffed.

"Pleased to meet you both." Naruto grinned. "I'll teach you tree-walking when we get to the lake."

"See?!" Konohamaru crowed, "Didn't I tell you that he was awesome?"

"You know where the small lake is near training area 32?" Naruto asked and Konohamaru nodded. "Good, meet me there in half an hour and I'll get you started on learning tree-walking which'll really help you with your chakra control and stealth. After all, very few people look up."

To make his point, Naruto placed his foot on the wall of the building and then, concentrating hard, walked up the side of it until he was on the roof. Looking down, he smiled at the shocked expressions of the three children.

"Well, get moving!"

"Yes, sensei!" All three chorused before sprinting off. Naruto chuckled and leapt across the alley, heading for his apartment.

.

Arriving at the lake, Naruto quickly set up several long stakes, attaching a sheet to them to make a shielded training area. Pausing in thought, he performed his favourite Jutsu and sixty clones appeared.

"You," Naruto said pointing to one, "Head to the academy, when Teme and Sakura show up, join them and wish them good luck, then dispell. The rest of you, start tree-walking, except you two. You're on timing duty. I want you to see which clone is the best and have it dispell after ten minutes, you're on trees and you will be water. You six stay to one side, you'll be teaching Ko and his friends tree-walking when they arrive."

"Yes, boss!" The clones shouted, then they split up to begin as Naruto darted into the shelter to change into his swimming trunks. Once he had done so, he moved to the edge of the small lake and summoned another fifty clones.

"Water-walking!" He commanded. "You ready to start timing?"

"Sure boss." Said the clone that had ambled over to join them, a big grin on its face. "This should be fun!"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto sighed, then he started to focus his chakra.

"Whoa! We never spotted _that_ before!" one of his clones marvelled.

Naruto blinked and looked down at his stomach where an odd spiralling seal was fading.

"Oh, that. That must be the seal that the Yondaime sealed theKyuubi into. Just ignore it."

"The Kyuubi? Cool!" A younger voice crowed and Naruto facepalmed.

"Ko, you're early."

"You have the Kyuubi sealed away? That's awesome!" Konohamaru chattered as he dragged his friends to the water's edge.

"It's not that great." Naruto sighed. "It's why so many hate me, they don't see _me_, they see _it_. The Yondaime sealed it away with the greatest seal he'd ever made so that it couldn't escape, but…"

Naruto shrugged and Udon leaned forwards. "That's amazing. I am _so_ going to learn how to do that."

"It's called Fuuinjutsu." Naruto supplied, then he blinked and turned to the other trunk-clad clones crowding around. "Oy! Water walking, remember?!"

The clones promptly scrambled to the edge of the lake and soon a near-constant stream of splashes and cut-off swearing started to echo across the lake. Naruto sighed again.

"Okay you three, I have six clones over there who will help you. They'll support you until you get the chakra right in your feet and catch you if you fall. Go on."

"Thanks, boss!" Konohamaru shouted as the trio ran towards the waiting clones and Naruto turned his attention to the lake.

"Now, focus chakra, push it through my feet and…glub! Bleaurgh! Dammit! This is way harder than tree-walking!"

.

"Now, channel your chakra through your feet and into the tree." One of the clones supporting Konohamaru said. "Once you think you have it, try to pull your foot away to check that it's sticking."

"This is easy…whoa! Thanks."

Konohamaru glanced across to the ext tree, where Moegi had just been caught as she slipped off the trunk. The clones re-positioned her so that her feet were pressed against the bark and, frowning in concentration, she started to slowly walk up the tree again.

"This isn't so har… whoah!"

Konohamaru looked the other way just in time to see the pair of clones assigned to Udon catch the plummeting boy. As he tried to calm down, the clones carefully repositioned him.

"You're doing good. Keep going until you get tired, then stop for a rest."

Konohamaru made the Ram sign with his hands and felt his Chakra flowing towards his feet.

"Okay…" He whispered and carefully took one step up the branch, then a second and a third.

"Yes! Waargh!"

The clones caught him as he dropped and he smiled at them.

"Thanks."

.

Naruto leapt for joy as he stood atop the water. Only fifteen clones had been dispelled before the accumulated experience relayed to him let him reach the point where he no longer had to concentrate. His remaining tree-climbing clones were all moving easily up and down the trees and along the underneath of the branches as if the oddly-angled surfaces were simply flat ground. From one side, the young trio watched in amazement.

"See, I _told_ you that Boss was awesome." Konohamaru exulted as he wiped the sweat off his brow. "He taught us how to tree-walk in one day, who else could have done that?"

"Yeah, he's cool." Moegi admitted, then she sighed. "But I'm exhausted, how do I get home?"

"My clones can carry you back." Naruto said as he walked towards the changing area to put his normal clothes back on. "Just direct them to where you need to go."

"Thanks, boss." Konohamaru said as he let one of the clones pick him up and place him on the back of another clone. "Hokage mansion! Away!"

"Hush you." Laughed the clone as it started to jog off.

"Thanks, boss!" Udon called as he was carried away and Moegi waved as she left. Naruto smiled and looked round.

"Alright, dispell five at a time." Naruto shouted and the _poof_'s of dispelling clones soon filled the clearing. Naruto closed his eyes as the memories flooded in, then he smiled as they settled down.

"Damn, that's a _lot_ of tree-climbing and water walking. Well, means that I now have a better chance of learning new jutsu. Well, since my memories show that the Teme and Sakura have entered the exam, I guess I should try and see if there are any D-rank missions that need doing, I really need the money."

Naruto paused and looked up at the sky.

"Actually, I think I'll get some Ramen instead. Ichiraku's, here I come!"

Laughing he ran out of the clearing, then after a few moments, he re-entered it, muttering under his breath.

"Can't believe that I forgot the sheet… I can't afford to leave it behind, tonight will be too cold without it… grrrr…"

.

"Hey, old man, Ayame-nee-san! One Naruto special please!"

Ayame stared at him and Naruto shifted under her gaze. "What? Have I got something on my forehead?"

"Naruto?" Teuchi asked as he emerged from the kitchen area. "What are you doing here? I thought you had entered the chunin exams?"

"Nah." Naruto sighed, looking down at the counter. "I'm not ready for them yet. Haven't learned enough, all I've really got is my _Kage Bunshin_. Teme has his _Sharingan_ and fire jutsus while Sakura can think her way through anything and has perfect chakra control. Me, I'll just hold them back."

Ayame and Teuchi exchanged a long glance, then Ayame spoke. "Dad, you get the Ramen started. I got this."

"Okay."

As Teuchi vanished back though to the kitchen, Ayame leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the counter. "So, how did the other two take your absence?"

"I sent a clone to give my best to them,but Sakura and the Teme refused to listen to it." Naruto sighed. "I don't know why we're still regarded as a team, I mean, the only time we work together is when we're about to be killed. What sort of teamwork is that? Sakura keeps punching me, Sasuke never speaks more than three words at a time and usually just grunts…"

"N…Naruto…?" A female voice gasped and Naruto spun round to find three people his own age staring at him in shock.

"Hey, Kiba, Hiya Shino, hello… hello… I know we used to be in the same class, what's your name again?"

"Hinata." The girl half-whispered.

"Hey man, where were you?" Kiba asked. "I couldn't see you at the exam at all after the girls leapt at Sasuke."

"I decided I wasn't ready, so I stayed away." Naruto shrugged. "I sent a clone to wish the other two luck, but they didn't listen."

"Man, that blows!" Kiba snarled. "You mean the other two got to take the exam without you? We were told by Kurenai-sensei that all _three_ were needed before we could enter."

"I… I'm sorry…" Hinata whispered, staring at the ground and Kiba shook his head.

"Yeah, well fortunately scarhead was lying about never taking the exam again. We'll just have to get you stronger for next time."

"What happened?" Naruto asked curiously.


	12. Different Path 2

_Kishimoto owns Naruto and all derivatived works._

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**Chapter Two**

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"Where is that baka?!" Sakura half-shouted, glaring around. From his perch on the railing of the small bridge, Sasuke just shrugged.

"Maybe we should just leave him behind." Sakura growled. "We're ready for this, even if the baka isn't."

Sasuke dropped onto the bridge with another grunt. Placing his hands in his pockets, he started to walk towards the Academy and Sakura quickly followed. A moment later, Sakura overtook him.

"Come on! We need to run to get there on time!"

Sasuke pulled out his pocket-watch and glanced at it, then broke into a sprint. "Dammit, if waiting for him costs me my chance at promotion, I'll kill the dobe!"

.

As the Academy came into view, Sakura snarled at the sight of a familiar orange-clad figure waiting by the door. "Dammit! He _knew_ to meet us at the bridge!"

"Probably wanted us to fail so that he could pass." Sasuke snarled.

"Hey, guys, I…" The figure started, only to stop as Sakura grabbed his collar.

"Shut up and come on!"

"Hey, wait, you don't under… glrk!"

Working together, Sakura and Sasuke dashed up the two flights of stairs dragging the protesting form of their team-mate behind them. At the door to room 301, a familiar figure was waiting for them.

"Just in time, another thirty seconds and you'd have been disqualified." Kakashi said, not looking up from the orange book he was reading. "Go on, the test is waiting for you and it's a good thing you are all here as if one of you had decided not to come, none of you could have participated."

"You almost cost us our chance!" Sakura snarled at the protesting blond as she shoved him through the door. As Sasuke followed them through, the door closed and locked behind them.

"Sasuke!"

Ino barreled through, knocking Sakura sideways as she latched onto Sasuke, then a voice sounded.

"Enough! Everyone grab a number and get to a seat, NOW!"

Sakura grabbed a ticket from the proffered fishbowl and scurried to her seat. Once she was sat down, she glanced round.

'_That's odd,' _she thought, _'What happened to Naruto? His eye-burning orange should be easy to spot, but I can't see him? Oh well. It's not as if he'd be of any use to us. Not compared to Sasuke.'_

"Welcome to the first stage of the chunin exams." The intimidating figure at the front of the examination hall growled. "I am Ibiki, the main Proctor of this stage. The rules are simple. You start with ten points per team and each time you are caught cheating, your team loses two points. Once a team has lost all its points, it will be removed from the exams. There is no appeal, the examinors decision is final. You will answer the first nine questions and in one hour, you will have the choice of answering the tenth question, although different rules will apply. You may begin!"

Sakura gulped and turned over the first page of her sheet.

'_Well, these questions are advanced, but I know the answers. Oh, I hope that Naruto doesn't screw things up trying to cheat, we all know what a klutz he is…'_

.

"Byakugan." Hinata whispered as she activated her Kekkai Genkai. Without moving, she let her gaze drift around the room. _'Aha, Sakura is already answering the questions, I can copy off her and… what? Where's Naruto? I know that I saw him come in, but I can't see him! What's going on? Has he been thrown out already, and if he was, why are Sakura and Sasuke still here? I don't understand!'_

.

At the front of the room, Morino Ibiki frowned as he counted the students yet again. _'154 of the seats are filled, but there should be 15_5_ given that two of those seated are planted chunin for others to copy off. 87 people from Konoha, 30 from Suna, 21 from Ame, 6 each from Kusa and Taki and a team of 3 from the new village of Otogakure, so which group is missing one? I can see both the chunin, so I know that they're not the problem… dammit, I hate it when things don't add up properly.'_

.

Sasuke activated his _Sharingan_. From where he was sitting in the back row, he could see Sakura's right arm and he used his _Sharingan_ to duplicate the movements, letting his arm copy her work.

'_I guess that she came in useful after all.'_ He mused with a small smirk on his face as he finished filling in the ninth question. Deactivating his _Sharingan_, he looked round, then frowned.

'_Where the hell did the dobe end up? I am _not_ going to get thrown out because that idiot panicked about the test. Heh, chances are that he wouldn't even be able to put his own name down correctly.'_

.

'_How troublesome.'_ Shikamaru thought, glancing round covertly. _'I know that I saw Naruto come in, then Ino sent him flying and he must have done a _Shunshin_ or something as he vanished in a cloud of smoke, but _where_ did he go? Did he simply step out to avoid this test or something?'_

No answer presented itself and Shikamaru turned his attention back to answering the questions.

'_What a drag.'_

.

"Time's up, put your pencils down." Ibiki snarled, his frustration at having failed to work out which team was undermanned evident in his voice. "It's time for the final question. Fail this question and you'll be banned from participating in a chunin exam ever again. Quit now and you'll still be banned and your team will go with you, but they'll be allowed to try again later. Now, how many of you think that you can pass, because the nine questions you've answered are easy compared to the tenth!"

Ibiki glared at the remaining genin, slowly ratcheting up the killing intent, until one of the Suna genin cracked.

"Sorry guys, but…"

The unfortunate genin was the stone that triggered the avalanche and Ibiki hid his smirk as the number of departing genin grew. After a few moments, the flow decreased and he looked at the remaining group.

'_Heh, only ten teams remaining… although one of them is the Kami-damned team of two. Ah well, may as well end it now, or Anko will be whining about how I'm spoiling her fun.'_

"All right." Ibiki growled. "The tenth question… you all pass."

For a moment, everyone was silent, then the pink-haired girl slammed up into a standing position.

"WHAT?"

"You all pass." Ibiki smirked. "This was a test to see if you were willing to take the risks required to finish a mission. When you go out there, you won't have all the information you need, and sometimes the client will lie to you."

Ibiki pulled off his bandana and several of the genin turned white at the sight of the scars and holes on his shaven scalp. "I gained these scars because my team were given false information and we were ambushed. I was tortured for information, but I didn't break. You didn't break…"

CRASH!

Ibiki blinked as a banner unfurled in front of him even as the broken glass from the window finished hitting the floor and he sighed as he donned his bandana again. Reaching out, he moved the banner aside and stepped forwards, glaring at the lady who hade made such a dramatic entrance through the now-glassless window.

"Anko, you're early."

The shorter woman smirked at him as he glanced at the banner that proclaimed her to be the _sexy and single proctor of the second exam, Mitarashi Anko_, then she turned her attention to the staring genin.

"Heh, ten teams, huh? You really pruned them back for me. Allright, scumbags, the next test is at training area 44, follow me!"

Before Ibiki could say anything, Anko had dived out of the window, followed by several of the genin while the rest piled out through the door.

"Collect the papers and compare them to the list." Ibiki directed the chunin proctors. "Find out which team was missing one of their members. If it was a Konoha team, their jonin-sensei and I are going to have a… _talk_."

.

"I'm sorry." Hinata muttered sadly for the dozenth time, refusing to look up at her two team-mates. "I'm… I'm not strong enough yet… I'm holding you back…"

Shino and Kiba exchanged glances, then Kiba sighed. "It's okay. We'll help you get stronger, then we can participate in the next exams."

"I agree." Shino droned. "Why you ask? Although I am advanced in my clans techniques, I am unconvinced that I am strong enough to advance given that we have been genin for only half a year."

"I still let you down." Hinata whispered, then she looked up as a familiar voice said something. "K… Kurenai… sensei…"

"Ibiki?" Kurenai asked, her red eyes filled with understanding and Hinata nodded, her gaze dropping back down to the ground.

"I… I can't ever be a chunin… I failed and…"

"That was a lie designed to make you quit." Kurenai said gently. "You'll be allowed to try again."

"R… really?"

"I promise." Kurenai said, then she glanced up at a bird flying overhead. "Something's come up and I need to get going. You two, get Hinata home safely and I'll see you all tomorrow at ten for a mission and training."

"Sure thing, sensei!" Kiba replied as Shino nodded silently. As Kurenai strode off, the trio resumed their progress.

.

"Listen up, brats!" Anko strutted, "This is training area 44, also known as the Forest of Death, and the site of our second stage. Your mission is simple, you will each get a single scroll, either Heaven or Earth. You will collect a full set by any means necessary and be at the central tower in no less than five days. If you lose a team—mate, you fail! If you leave the area before the test ends, you fail! If you reach the tower with only one scroll, you fail! Now, fill out the forms that mean we don't have to take responsibility for when you die, grab a scroll and get to the gate you are told to go to! Move it!"

.

"N…Naruto…?" Hinata gasped and the orange-clad figure in the Ramen stand spun round.

"Hey, Kiba, Hiya Shino, hello… hello… I know we used to be in the same class, what's your name again?"

"Hinata." She half-whispered.

"Hey man, where were you?" Kiba asked. "I couldn't see you at the exam at all after the girls leapt at Sasuke."

"I decided I wasn't ready, so I stayed away." Naruto shrugged, oblivious to the shock that Team 8 were expressing. "I sent a clone to wish the other two luck, but they didn't listen."

"Man, that blows!" Kiba snarled. "You mean the other two got to take the exam without you? We were told by Kurenai-sensei that all _three_ were needed before _we_ could enter."

"I… I'm sorry…" Hinata whispered yet again, staring at the ground and Kiba shook his head.

"Yeah, well fortunately scarhead was lying about never taking the exam again. We'll just have to get you stronger for next time." Kiba said reassuringly, patting her shoulder.

"What happened?" Naruto asked and Shino tilted his head slightly.

"It was an excellent display of psychological warfare designed to terrorise anyone who doubted their ability to proceed."

"Huh?" both Kiba and Naruto asked, then they looked at each other and shrugged while Shino sighed.

"Ibiki scared everyone who did not think they would be able to continue."

Naruto whistled. "Wow! Good thing that I _wasn't_ there, I'd have got Sakura and the Teme thrown out and Kakashi-sensei would have killed me for doing so."

"Yeah, but… you, three… what?"

Naruto stared at Kiba, then transferred his gaze to the other two.

"And for those of us who don't speak mutt, what did he say?"

For a moment, Hinata and Shino looked at Kiba, then at each other before Hinata sighed.

"Kiba-san was asking how Sasuke and Sakura were able to be in the tests when all three members of the team were needed."

"Dunno." Naruto shrugged, turning to the bowl of ramen that had been placed on the counter. "I thought it was either Kakashi being a lazy git like normal or the other ninja trying to ignore me again. Didn't seem at all unusual to me."

As he picked up his chopsticks, a puff of smoke erupted by his side to reveal the form of Kakashi.

"Hey, sensei. Fancy a bowl?" Naruto shrugged.

"Naruto…" Kakashi growled, grabbing him by his collar.

"What?" Naruto yelped as they vanished.

"What just happened?" Kiba asked after a silent moment.

.

The gates slammed shut behind the genin vanishing into the forest and Anko pulled out a wrapped stick of Dango, only to pause as one of the chunin appeared.

"What?"

"We… just counted the forms, Anko-san." The chunin said nervously. "There's twenty-nine of them."

"So?" Anko shrugged, then her brows furrowed. "Hang on… that means that there's a team that isn't three, but only two. How the hell did that happen? Who bailed?"

"It's worse than that." A voice said from behind her and Anko looked round.

"Oh, hi, Ibiki. Worse?"

"We know who the missing genin is."

Anko raised an eyebrow, then looked at the ten Jonin from the various villages arrayed behind Ibiki.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Hatake Kakashi dropped his book as all the other Jonin turned to stare at him. "What?!"

"You passed two of your team through instead of stopping them at the door, Kakashi." Ibiki growled, transfixing Kakashi with his glare.

"All three of them were there!" Kakashi protested and Ibiki shook his head. Anko looked up from the pile of forms.

"I don't have a form for the Uzumaki brat. Got one for the Uchiha and the screaming fangirl, though. What the hell is going on?"

"_Kage Bunshin_." Ibiki stated. "I watched the recording, one of Naruto's _Bunshin_ entered the room and was dispelled. What were you thinking, Kakashi? I _know_ you can tell the difference between a _bunshin_ and a genin."

"Ummm, well…"

"Find him and bring him here. Now!" Ibiki stated and Kakashi vanished in a sealless _shunshin_.

"Damn, the copycat got pranked?" Anko whistled and Ibiki sighed.

"We all did and now it's too late to interfere. I need to know why the kid did that."

"My ramen!" A voice protested as Kakashi reappeared and dropped Naruto onto the ground. "Dammit, sensei, I _paid_ for that! You owe me another bowl!"

Several sniggers alerted the irate pre-teen to the fact that he was in company and he looked round.

"Sensei, what's going on…?"

"Well," Kakashi said grumpily, "It would seem that you've broken the rules and left the test half-way through."

"What?" Naruto yelped. "I never entered! I sent a clone to wish Sakura and the Teme good luck, that was all!"

"You never entered?" Ibiki repeated, causing Naruto to gulp nervously upon noticing him. "Why would you not want to be promoted? After all, you want to be Hokage, right?"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto half-shouted, then he looked at the ground. "And I can't be Hokage if I suck, I need way more training and Kakashi_ doesn't give it to me_!"

Everyone stared at Kakashi as Naruto continued his rant. "I have to work with a girl who's idea of saying _hello_ is to punch me and a Teme best described as… what did Moegi call him? Ah yes, _Duckbutt McGrumpypants_!"

Several of the assembled Jonin quickly smothered their laughter.

"Dammit, we're not even a team! Sakura's constantly mooning over the Teme and refusing to train because it'll wreck her figure, as if she isn't more flat-chested than I am, while the Teme is so transfixed on killing his brother that if it doesn't give him power, he doesn't want to know! The only reason he puts up with being around me is that he can test his taijitsu on me since I don't go down easy, and he's got worse since getting those red eyes of his! He's got the _Sharingan_ and loads of Jutsus, Sakura's got perfect chakra control and enough brains to think through anything, all I have is clones and stubbornness! That isn't enough! If I'm going to be a chunin, I need more than that!"

"You have more than that…" Kakashi protested, only for Naruto to glare at him.

"Yeah, I have tree-walking from you and water-walking from Iruka-sensei this morning. _Kage Bunshin_, Henge , Kawarimi that works _maybe_ one time in ten, tree and water-walking… that's friggin it! Thanks to Mizuki, my taijutsu sucks and _I can't get help because you're too Kami-damned lazy_!"

Kakashi struck Naruto as he screamed the end of his rant, dropping him unconscious to the ground, then he looked around him.

"It's not that bad, honestly."

"It does explain why Konohamaru was going on about learning tree-walking from Naruto earlier, though." Hiruzen said, walking round the group and looking down at Naruto. "Kakashi, I am disappointed…"

"I'll punish Naruto, you don't need to." Kakashi said quickly, only to stop as Hiruzen glared at him.

"As I was saying _before I was so rudely interrupted_, I am disappointed in _you_, Kakashi. As a Jonin-sensei, you are meant to help them to progress but from what Naruto has said, you have failed in that. Even if that wasn't the case, your failure to ensure all _three_ of them entered together have already left a very large black mark on your record."

"Lord Hokage…"

"No." Hiruzen stated. "Irrespective of whether they reach the tower or not, your other students will not be allowed to advance and will be pulled from the exam. Furthermore, the future of Team 7 will rely entirely on their reaction to this and you will not be allowed to interfere. Understand?"

Kakashi nodded slowly.

"Good."

"Urrrgh." Naruto moaned. "What hit me?"


	13. Different Path 3

_Kishimoto owns Naruto and all derivatived works._

.

**Chapter Three**

.

The gate closed behind them as Sasuke and Sakura dashed into the forest. Running up one of the trees just inside the boundary, they paused.

"Allright." Sasuke grunted. "We don't have the dobe to slow us down, so we head out and find another team. We follow them until they fight and we see which team wins while I use my _Sharingan_ to copy their jutsus. Once the fighting is over, we follow the winners and attack them for the scroll, then head for the tower."

Sakura nodded, her mind filled with amazement at Sasuke's brilliance. Sasuke saw her nod and leapt to the next branch, Sakura hot on his trail.

.

"Dammit." Snarled the black-clad ninja, dropping the scroll back onto the pile of bloody sand that he'd retrieved it from. "Earth scroll."

Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke gently stroked the pocket holding their own Heaven scroll.

"Head towards the tower, I'll catch up with you." He whispered and Sakura nodded. Moving as quietly as she could, she eased away from the Suna team that had mercilessly killed the entire Ame team.

"Run!"

Sakura glanced backwards and screamed as a wave of sand slammed through the trees behind her, barely missing Sasuke who was holding the required scroll in his hand. Without bothering to think, Sakura spun and sprinted as fast as she could, trying to outpace the crashing sand that was smashing through the Forest.

"What _is_ he?" Sakura gasped as a spinning branch flew by her head and Sasuke grunted.

"Less talk, more run!"

"DIE!"

A burst of adrenaline flooded Sakura's muscles as the insane voice screamed from behind them and she accelerated, as did Sasuke. Seeing an open area, they brurst out of the undergrowth and found themselves at the edge of a river.

"Logs!" Sakura shouted, pointing at the floating items. "We can cross!"

Sasuke nodded and they lept from the shore to the first, then the second and to a third as something roared behind them. As they landed on the fourth and final log, it shifted underneath them and Sakura gulped as realisation dawned.

"Oh, shi…"

The water seemed to explode as the river monster bucked underneath them and the duo were hurled into the canopy. Just before she impacted with a branch, Sakura saw one of the river beasts lunging at the trio that had been pursuing them, then everything went dark.

.

"uuuurrrrghh."

"Hn."

Sakura's eyes flickered open slowly and the world slowly resolved into a cave with Sasuke sat at the entrance, a silhouette against the greenery stretched across the opening to disguise it.

"How… long…"

"Full day." Sasuke grunted, glancing out of the camouflage. "I was starting to think you'd sleep to the end."

"Anything happen?" Sakura asked weakly and Sasuke shrugged.

"Fight in the distance, got a few more jutsu from it. Other than that, nothing."

Sakura nodded and sat up, slowly stretching as her limbs protested.

"Water in the canteen." Sasuke said, nodding to the small pile of camping equipment. "I'll re-seal it when you're ready to move out."

Sakura smiled. Sasuke knew how to seal stuff already, he was so cool.

"Good thing the baka wasn't with us." Sakura noted. "He'd have got killed and got us chucked out. I wonder what happened to him?"

"Don't know and don't care." Sasuke shrugged. "Dobe would have got us thrown out somehow."

"Yeah." Sakura agreed. "He's such an idiotic klutz."

Sasuke paused for a moment, memories of Nauto's insane-yet-somehow-workable plans flicking through his head. He still disn't know _how_ Naruto had done the impossible and actually _henged_ into a Windmill Shuriken while his shadow clones were a trick that he still hadn't been able to copy since it was a layered handseal technique that relied on the user learning one string of handseals, perfecting them to the point that they weren't actually needed any more to shape the Chakra and then funnelled through a second seal.

His _Sharingan_ meant that he could only learn the overseal and not the underlying chakra manipulation required. It was somewhat ironic that a Hyuuga would have a better chance of learning that technique from simple observation.

How Naruto had learned it when he couldn't do a normal _Bunshin_, he had no idea.

"Here's a food pill." Sasuke said, handing it over. "Eat it and get a drink, then tell me when you're good to move out. I want you at full, otherwise we might hit trouble."

Sakura hid a smile. Sasuke _did_ care for her!

.

"The tower." Sakura gasped as they landed in the undergrowth just before the clearing that held the structure in question. Making to rise, she pused as Sasuke clapped his hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura, there's someone nearby… someone with a _lot_ of chakra…"

"Kukukukuku." A voice laughed and boh genin spun round to find themselves facing a woman with a Grass Village Hitai-ate. A moment later, they were hit with a huge gust of wind that hurled them into the air, away from the sanctuary offered by the Tower.

Sakura screamed as she hurtled towards the canopy, impacting harshly and feeling her left arm shatter under the impact. Crashing to the ground, she whimpered as her ankle twisted, preventing her from running away. A dozen meters away, Sasuke landed heavily, bruised but without the broken bones that she had suffered.

"Sas… suke…" She gasped, clutching her broken arm tightly to her as she tried to stand up. "Who.. who _was_ that?"

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted, his _sharingan_ scanning around him for any sign of the ninja who had attacked them, "but she wasn't a normal genin. Not with that amount of power."

"Well said." The woman sneered as she dropped down lightly. "Hello, Sasuke, you have something that interests me."

Sasuke blinked while Sakura started muttering. "She's chosen to go after us… sasuke-kun's her target… something that… Sasuke! She's after your eyes!"

"Well done." The woman said sarcastically, then she threw something as Sakura. Sakura tried to dodge, but she wasn't fast enough and the object shattered against her cheek, breaking and splashing a liquid over her face.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!"

Sakura's scream of agony echoed through the forest and the woman laughed again.

"Now that your little whore is otherwise occupied, I think that…"

The woman vanished in a fireball, then reappeared from behind a tree.

"Nice jutsu, Sasuke. Not nearly as good as your brother's fireballs, but not bad."

Sasuke snarled. "What do you know about Itachi?"

"Oh, he and I used to work for the same people. I got to know him quite well."

Sasuke pulled out a kunai and leapt at the woman, his _sharingan_ flaring red. The woman laughed as she pulled out her own kunai and blocked him, then her grin widened.

"_Three_ tomoe now, I see. You really are getting better."

Sasuke blinked and the instant of distraction was enough to let the woman throw him into a tree. Pulling himself to his feet, he lunged forwards again, only for his strike to be blocked. An instant later, the woman lunged forwards and bit him on the side of his neck.

"AAAAARGH!"

As he collapsed from the sheer agony flowing through his veins, he saw the woman smiling.

"Use my gift of power well, little Uchiha. When you want more, come to me. Kukukukukukuku!"

The world went black as the jagged lances of acidic heat seemed to stab through him.

.

"Help… us…"

Iruka blinked as he saw the sight before him.

"What happened?"

"Genin, strong, acid." Sakura slurred, looking at him with her one uncovered eye. "Sasuke down, don't know why. Hurts."

Iruka nodded and gently picked up Sasuke.

"I'll be back in a moment. Stay put."

As he vanished in a _shunshin_, Sakura finally gave in to the pain and collapsed on the floor beside the two unrolled scrolls.

.

"Report."

The doctor looked at the Hokage and the Teacher for a moment, then down at the clipboard he was holding.

"Both patients are stable. Haruno suffered three breaks in her left arm, they have been realigned and placed in a cast, with the proper medical jutsu, the bones should be set within a fortnight. She dislocated her right ankle, it has been reset but her walking on it while dragging the Uchiha behind her did not do it any good. It will be a week before she is allowed to walk anywhere due to the damage she did to the tendons and muscles."

"And her face?" Iruka asked before he could stop himself. The doctor sighed.

"She is fortunate that the acid mostly missed her eye. We were able to apply reconstructive jutsus, but her right eye will always be red."

"Like Yuhi Kurenai's?"

"No, I mean that her eye _itself_ will be red. The iris and what was formerly the white. Her right eye is now completely red except for the pupil. As for her face, the acid was quite nasty. We had to do a skin graft and it didn't work properly due to traces of the acid we couldn't remove. The entire right side of her face is now a mass of scars."

"I'll have Kurenai instruct her in genjitsu so that she can hide it." Hiruzen said after a few moments thought.

"As for the Uchiha, several cracked bones and a seal on his neck that resembles that applied by Orochimaru to Mitarashi Anko, only more advanced." The doctor read. "The seal seems to be… for lack of a better description, _rooting_ itself into his chakra network. Until we can place it under a containment seal, we cannot let the Uchiha out of the hospital."

Hiruzen sighed. "Alright. Until they recover, they are both off duty."

"What about Naruto?" Iruka askedand Hiruzen frowned.

"I never got round to replacing Mizuki, did I?"

"No, Lord Hokage, but why do… you… you have to be kidding!"

Hiruzen smirked.

"Lord Hokage." An ANBU said, appearing and proffering a scroll. "The list of those who made it. Nine in total, three teams, two from Konoha and one from Suna."

Hiruzen accepted the scroll. "Hmmmmm… Team nine, Hyuuga Neji, Higarushi Tenten, Rock Lee, The Suna Siblings, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari of the Sand, and tempoaray team beta, Yakushi Kabuto, Akado Yoroi and Tsurugu Misumi. Interesting."

"Yes, My Lord." The ANBU said. "They are assembling for the speech."

"Very well." Hiruzen said, walking towards the door. "Iruka, find Naruto and start teaching him how to be a classroom assistant, he starts tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Iruka sighed.

"And while you are at it, you might as well see just how badly the other teachers mis-trained him and see if you can sort it out."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Iruka grinned.

.

"What the… boss?"

Naruto grinned as Konohamaru's exclamation of shock echoed off the walls of the classroom.

"It's Naruto-sensei now, Ko. I've been tapped to help Iruka-sensei keep you lot under control."

"Yeah, right." One of the other children snorted. "There's only one of you and… _Sweet Kami_!"

Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon exchanged grins as several dozen Naruto clones spread out, each one taking position by a suddenly-silent child as Iruka entered.

"Hello, class." Iruka said, calling on all of his self-control to hide his grin. "As you can see, I have a new assistant that will be helping with your physical training. Naruto, head out, give me anther thirty to forty clones and then head over to training field nine for your lessons in taijitsu under Maito Gai."

"You got it, sensei." Naruto saluted, then he vaulted out of a window, landing silently. Iruka shook his head.

"Normally we would be continuing with the leaf exercise, but it has come to my attention that three of you can do tree-climbing. Could those three raise their hands and tell the class who taught them?"

Konohamaru grinned as He, Moegi and Udon all raised their hands, then Udon spoke up. "It was Naruto-san who taught us, he used his clones to help us do it and make sure we didn't get hurt."

Iruka nodded. "I got the story from Naruto and it seems that his method is actually more efficient than the normal one, although it requires the teacher to concentrate fully on one student at a time. A result, it isn't really a surprise that Naruto managed to come up with it. He's a one-man army. All right, I see he has more clones waiting, let's head to the trees."

With a resounding cheer, the students flooded out of the door while the clones left via the windows.

.

"Aha, Naruto! It is good to see you this youthful morning!"

Naruto froze for a moment, then glanced round. To his left was another green-spandex clad figure looking like a smaller version of Maito Gai. The other two genins with them were a dark-haired boy with a marked resemblence to Hinata and a brown-haired girl with her hair pulled up into two buns that looked a bit like panda ears.

"Ummm, hi?"

"Ah, you have yet to meet my youthful team!" Gai declaimed, giving Naruto an admittedly slightly disturbing grin and thumbs-up. "First is Hyuuga Neji, a genius of talent."

The aforementioned Hyuuga simply nodded, then resumed staring at nothing in particular.

"And here is Higarushi Tenten, a genius of skill!"

Tenten looked up from the kunai that she was polishing and smiled. "Hello."

"Hi." Naruto managed, somewhat disconcerted by the fact that a girl was _talking_ to him rather than shouting at or hitting him (Ayame didn't count as he'd known her so long).

"And we have my youthful student, a genius of hard work, Rock Lee!"

Naruto stared at the chibi-Gai, then rubbed his eyes and resumed staring.

It didn't help. The teen was still looking toomuch like Gai.

"Um, hi?"

"Hello, it is good to meet another who is willing to devote so much time to improving himself!"

Naruto blinked as Lee stood in _exactly_ the same thumbs-up pose as Gai, with a very similar smile on his face.

"Umino-san was kind enough to inform me that you were capable of utilising the _Kage Bunshin_." Gai continued and Naruto nodded. "May I ask how many you can make?"

"Not sure." Naruto shrugged. "I've got about sixty helping Iruka-sensei with his class now."

For a long moment, Gai just stared at him.

"S… s… _sixty_?!"

"Could be seventy." Naruto shrugged. "Since I learned tree- and water-walking, it seems to take less energy to make them. I could probably make a couple of hundred more easily if you want."

Naruto looked round in confusion as everyone else stared at him with varying expressions of shock, then Gai spoke.

"You learned water-walking? How long did it take?"

"About three hours." Naruto shrugged. "I used a whole load of clones and dispelled the best-performing one every five minutes. The experience really mounted up quickly."

"Interesting." Gai mused, stroking his chin in thought. "Very well, let us spar now so that I can see what style you use and what style might suit you. Take your stance!"

Naruto nodded and moved into the first stance he had learned, then he frowned as Gai winced.

"What?"

"That… is _not_ a proper stance!" Gai growled. "Who taught you that… _abomination_?"

Naruto blinked and Gai shifted into an upright stance. "Never mind, just come at me however you can."

.

"…and that concludes todays practice." Iruka said with a smile. "I am glad that you were all able to take at least several steps, well be repeating this next week. Ah, Naruto… what happened?"

"Gai… style… teaching… katas…" Naruto managed to gasp before his legs gave out. Only Iruka's reflexes stopped him from measuring his length in the dirt.

"You found out why he is called the _Green Beast of Konoha_, huh?" Iruka chuckled. "Alright. Clones, dispell by pairs. Naruto, prepare for a whole load of memories about over-excited children getting tree-walking wrong."

Naruto snorted with laughter even as the first clones vanished into puffs of smoke. Once the last clone had dispelled, Naruto looked up.

"You weren't kidding. I think only Ko's team and that Hyuuga girl managed to do it right."

"Well," Iruka said thoughtfully, "The Hyuuga clan are well-known for their advanced chakra control. In fact, their fighting style depends on it, gathering it and releasing it in controlled bursts."

"Wow." Naruto breathed. "I never knew that."

"Well, you did miss out on quite a few lessons when you were younger." Iruka said gently. "Now, I've set out a dozen books for you on the table in my classroom, so when you are ready, create some more clones to read them. In the meantime, here's your paycheck for today so perhaps you can treat _me_ to ramen for a change."

Naruto accepted the moneybag from the grinning adult and tucked it into his pocket before making a familiar seal. The clones that appeared promptly ran off into the Academy to begin their (re)-education and Naruto stretched, wincing a bit as he did so.

"So, how did you enjoy teaching?" Iruka asked and Naruto grinned.

"I see now why you like it so much." He admitted. "And on that note, for all the times I mucked around in class, I'm sorry. I guess I just got into some bad habits before you took over."

Iruka shrugged as they started to walk towards the main gate. "Well, at least you're making progress in catching up to where you should be."

"Thanks to you." Naruto grinned. "I don't know _why_ Kakashi didn't tell me about how _Kage Bunshin_ helps in learning, it's almost like he wanted me to be weaker than the Teme."

"It probably never really occurred to him." Iruka shrugged. "He might be one of the strongest Jonin in Konoha, but you three were the first team that he has actually had. He may be a great Jonin, but that doesn't mean that he's a good _teacher_."

"He hasn't taught me any cool jutsu." Naruto grumbled and Iruka laughed.

"That's _your_ job. Normally it means learning family or clan Jutsu or learning from scrolls in the Shinobi Library…"

"The what?" Naruto asked and Iruka facepalmed.

"He didn't even tell you _that_? Dammit, Kakashi. I'll show you after we've eaten. Heck, I'll even spring for a piece of chakra paper so that we can find out what your elemental affinity is."

"Errrrr…"

Iruka didn't even have to look at Naruto to realise that the young teen was confused. "Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning and Wind. The five main elements."

"In Wave, Haku used ice."

"That sounds like a _Kekkai Genkai_, this Haku probably had the ability to combine water and wind to form it." Iruka explained, falling into his _lecturing mode_. "Abilities like that are very rare. Now, the five main elements each have their own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, if you go up against someone using fire, you're best off using water Jutsu. If you rely on wind jutsu, you will be in trouble as wind jutsu actually strengthen fire…"

.

"Damn that bastard!" Sakura howled as she stared at her reflection. "It's all his fault, I know it!"

"In a way, maybe." Kakashi said as placatingly as he could. "You and Sasuke shouldn't have entered but Naruto tricked me by sending a shadow clone instead of showing up himself…"

"I'll _kill_ the bastard!" Sakura hissed. "He _knew_ what would happen…"

"I'll lodge a complaint with the Hokage personally." Haruno Isako grated from where she was sat by the window, looking away from her daughter's ruined visage. "Dereliction of duty, treason, betrayal of his team… I'll have him thrown into the deepest, dampest cell there is for the rest of his miserable existance!"

"That could be a problem as he didn't actually _break_ any of the laws." Kakashi said quickly.

"Look what he did to my daughter!" Isako almost shrieked and Kakashi winced.

"Actually, it was Orochimaru who…"

"I bet that the bastard is allied to him!" Isako over-rode his protests. "He will pay for this, even if I have to carve him up myself!"

Kakashi swallowed nervously as the situation spun out of control.

.

"What do you mean that Sasuke has been removed from the exams?!"


	14. Different Path 4

_Kishimoto owns Naruto and all derivatived works._

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**Chapter Four**

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"What do you mean that Sasuke has been removed from the exams?!" Orochimaru hissed. The silver-haired genin medic-nin looked back at him without flinching from his anger.

"Apparently, one of his team-mates chose not to enter the exam and sent a _Kage Bunshin_ to wish them luck. Due to a mix-up, the presence of the clone got them into the first exam and by the time it was discovered that they should have been refused entry, they were already in the Forest of Death. The Hokage decreed that irrespective of what happened, both Sasuke and his team-mate Sakura would be removed from the tests as soon as they reached the tower. Both of them are currently in the hospital, having been officially declared unable to continue."

Orochimaru growled, his eyes narrowing in rage.

"_That_… is not good news."

"The girl blames the Jinchuuriki for not supporting them." Kabuto smirked. "When Sasuke recovers, he'll probably do the same, especially if I… _help_ him reach that conclusion. When that happens, he'll probably ask to join you just to get revenge on his team-mate."

Orochimaru paused, then slowly an evil smirk spread across his face. "Yes… an excellent plan and one that fits in very well with the planned attack."

"It shouldn't be too hard." Kabuto said with a matching smile. "All I need to do is point out that while Sasuke was getting injured fleeing from Gaara, Naruto was having a cushy time helping the Academy brats learn chakra control."

"Kukukukuku." Orochimaru chuckled. "Your plan has promise, Kabuto. I look forwards to hearing your next report."

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto bowed.

.

Asuma looked up as a familiar figure approached him and his team.

"Hey, that's Naruto, isn't it?" Ino said curiously. "Didn't he quit the genin exams?"

"He never entered." Asuma said, remembering the rumours that had been flying round the Jonin information network. "He sent a Shadow Clone to wish his team good luck and it somehow got the other two in. Kakashi _really_ got blacklisted for that."

"Hi." Naruto said, scratching at the back of his head. "Ummm, you're Sarutobi Asuma, right?"

"I am." Asuma said and Naruto nodded.

"Iruka-sensei said that you were the only other Wind-element type in Konoha and…"

"Wait." Asuma commanded, his eyes intent. "You're a wind-type yourself?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup! Iruka said you could give me a few hints on how to start my elemental training since you and someone called Danzo are the only wind-users in Konoha, and he told me to keep away from Danzo."

"I see." Asuma nodded. "So, have you learned any exercises for it yet?"

Naruto shook his head and Asuma picked up a fallen leaf. Holding it in his hand, he frowned slightly in concentration and the leaf promptly split in half.

"That was the first exercise." He said to the wide-eyed boy. "You focus your chakra on the leaf and cut it. I picture it as a pair of thin blades grinding against each other to sharpen them, you might do something else. It all depends on what you can get to work for you."

"Cool!" Naruto half-shouted, then he leaned forwards. "Ummm, can you show me again, please?"

With a grin, Asuma picked up another leaf and a second later, both halves fluttered to the ground.

"Okay, I think I got it. The Boss will want to try it. Thanks."

"Wait!" Asuma commanded, staring at the boy. "Boss?"

"Yeah." Naruto grinned, one hand rubbing the back of his head. "I'm a clone, Boss sent me to see if I could pick up a few tips from you. What are you doing? Quit poking me!"

Ino stepped back, eyes wide as she pulled her hand back to her side. "You… you're solid!"

"_Kage Bunshin_." The clone announced proudly. "Everything I learn goes straight back to the Boss and my bros when I dispell. Boss is getting _thwacked_ by Lee at the moment, even _Kage Bunshin_'s aren't helping him, although he's getting good at his _Kawarimi_."

"He's swapping with his clones to avoid Lee's attacks." Shikamaru deduced and the clone nodded.

"Yep, Bushy-brows Junior really packs a wallop. He may not be able to use chakra, but he's _scary_ fast. Whup! They're taking a breather, gotta go. Thanks!"

The clone vanished in a puff of smoke and Ino sighed, turning her attention back to the remaining two males.

"I'm going to the hospital to check on Choji." She declared and Shikamaru glanced up as he moved a piece, causing Asuma to moan.

"I'll come with you." He said as Asuma sighed and started putting the pieces away. "I heard that they'll be removing the cast from his leg today, although he'll need crutches for a while."

"Yeah. Okay." Ino shrugged. "I heard that they're going to release Sakura today as well."

Shikamaru paused at that.

"Sakura? Haruno Sakura? Naruto's team-mate? What happened to her?"

.

"Hey fore… head…"

Ino's standard greeting faded as Sakura turned to face her. Half of her face was covered by a modified ANBU-style white mask with an eyeslit that hid the eye behind it. The top of the mask was moulded round Sakura's Hitai-ate which was now on her forehead rather than holding her hair back, its fabric band obviously re-purposed to hold the mask in place.

"Ino."

Ino shivered slightly at the coldness in Sakura's voice.

"I heard that you were being released today and…"

Sakura snorted and turned to look out of the window. Ino sighed.

"Sakura, I'm not here to gloat. I was worried about you…"

"You should be worried about Naruto-_baka_, because I'm going to _kill_ him for what he did to me." Sakura growled and Ino frowned in confusion.

"What? He was nowhere near you when…"

Sakura's head snapped round, her visible eye narrowed in anger.

"Exactly! He _abandoned_ us, _betrayed_ us and ran away! I'll make sure he never runs away again!"

Ino stepped back, staring in shock at the girl who had once been her closest friend, and who she no longer knew.

Outside the window, an ANBU pocketed the tape recorder and vanished in a _shunshin_.

.

"…and that should do it." Kabuto smiled as he lifted his hands from Sasuke's torso. "Your ribs are now as strong as they were before they were broken."

Sasuke sat up, then slowly stretched. After a moment, he nodded. "Thanks."

"Just doing my duty." Kabuto smiled, although his gaze flickered to a small shadow on the windowsill. "You went up against Orochimaru, you were lucky to escape."

"I wasn't strong enough." Sasuke mused, almost ignoring the med-nin.

"Then you need to find another way to get stronger." Kabuto offered. "Perhaps your sensei can suggest something. Maybe new exercises."

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted. "Kakashi, teach? He's a lazy bastard who is always late."

"Then perhaps you could ask another Jonin to help you train in your spare time." Kabut suggested. "I heard that your team-mate Naruto is being trained by your Sensei's _eternal rival_, Maito Gai. He is considered the best taijitsu master in Konoha, if not the Elemental Countries. I hear Iruka's giving him remedial lessons as well."

"What?!" Sasuke growled. "He decided to betray the team and got rewarded with extra training?!"

Kabuto hid a smirk as he tried unsuccessfully to calm Sasuke down, making sure that he didn't say anything that could incriminate him when the Hokage listened to the tape being recorded by the ANBU on the wall outside.

His smirk briefly broke free as Sasuke stomped out of the room and then he began tidying the ward.

Just because Konoha was going to be destroyed didn't mean that he could slack off in his duties.

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Hiruzen sighed and pressed the button to stop the tape before looking up at Kakashi. The Jonin seemed to have aged dramatically as he listened to the recordings.

"Lord Hokage… I…"

"I let you have Team 7 because you specifically asked for it." Hiruzen said, his quiet voice somehow filling the office. "You wanted to teach Naruto and I was willing to let you do so, but it seems that my decision was in error."

"Lord Hokage…" Kakashi started, his voice pleading and Hiruzen shook his head.

"This was your last team, Kakashi. You heard yourself how unstable two of them are, this sort of thing was what you were meant to watch out for and counter."

Kakashi slumped, his gaze fixed on the ground.

"As of today, team 7 is no more." Hiruzen sighed. "If Haruno and Uchiha wish to remain as ninja, they must first submit to a full psychiatric evaluation from Yamanaka Inoichi and Morino Ibiki and undergo whatever remedial training is deemed necessary. Failure to comply within the week will result in them being returned to civilian status."

"And Naruto?" Kakashi sighed. Hiruzen pushed forwards a file and leaned back as Kakashi read through it, becoming more and more depressed as he did so. Finally, Kakashi returned the file to the desk.

"Naruto has progressed more in the last week than he has done in all the months he spent in team 7." Hiruzen said, his voice gentle but the message brutal. "Gai reports that with the aid of _Kage Bunshin_, Naruto is fast becoming a taijitsu master. His weapons skills have also improved out of all recognition and he has actually calmed down quite a bit. My son reports that Naruto has already completed the leaf-cutting evercise and is moving on to rock-cutting."

Kakashi seemed to slump even more.

"I am redesignating Naruto as an independent genin and will be rotating him between teams eight, ten and Team Gai." Hiruzen sighed. "At this time, I have promoted Iruka to _Tobesku Jonin_ and placed him in charge of Naruto's overall progress with Naruto also being assigned to aid him in the Academy. Furthermore, given how much he has improved, I _will_ be telling him about his parents and giving him his inheritance withn the week. Given how much he has improved, he may be able to learn the _Rasengan_."

Kakashi swayed as if someone had thrown a Kunai through his heart.

"Lord Hokage, please…"

"Kakashi." Hiruzen commanded. "You are barred from contacting him for the next two weeks. He is no longer your concern. Your old position in ANBU is still open if you want to re-enlist in it, or I'm sure that I can find a mission or two for you to perform."

For a moment the two remained silent, then Hiruzen spoke again, his voice softer.

"Kakashi, not everyone is suited to teaching. You are one of the best when it comes to completing missions but no-one is great at everything."

"And Naruto…"

"Is leaving the village for a while." Hiruzen smiled. "Team 8 accepted a bodyguard contract to the Land of Snow, but the weather means that Aburame Shino would be at a major disadvantage, so Naruto is going in his stead. Jiraiya will be joining them on the way and he'll teach Naruto what he can during the mission."

Kakashi nodded slowly.

"You may go."

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	15. Tiger Of The Leaf Prologue

**Authorial notes.**

I do not own Naruto or anything linked to it. If I did, Sakura wouldn't be so screechy.

This story is inspired by the Bloodline Challenge. I had been considering a werewolf Naruto, but there are already several good ones out there, and I cannot match them. So I went another route... sort of.

This is an Naruto Alternate Universe. I've tried not to conflict with canon backstory, but the divergence occurs well before Naruto gets his own place to stay. If you don't like AU stories, why the heck are you even reading this? No, really. Why?

I always thought the presence of the giant tigers in the Forest of Death should have been explored better. This is my take on them, let's see how many others follow in these... um... tracks (pun not intended, honest)

This story was started before _Kitsune's Power_ (id s/8649007/1/Kitsune-s-Power ), but I hit a writers block after the first two chapters. Unwilling to drop the whole tiger-idea, I integrated it into _Kitsune's Power_, but this is where it came from.

.

**Prologue**

..o..

..o..

..o..

_Facing a trained user of a Kekkai Genkai, or Blood Limit, is one of the greatest challenges any shinobi will ever face. If one faces a Kekkai Genkai, great care must be taken whilst identifying and countering it._

_The most well-known are the Dojutsu, or eye-based Kekkai Genkai. The Byakugan, Sharingan and the semi-mythical Rin'negan are all types of Doujutsu, although there are other Doujutsus known to exist._

_Elemental Kekkai Genkai are also fairly well known, the Mokuton, which allows for the control of wood, was instrumental in the creation of the Village hidden in the Leaves. Other elemental Kekkai Genkai noted include the Hyouton (ice) and the still-unnamed crystal jutsu._

_The third branch of Kekkai Genkai are the body-morph types. The Kyagun Clan are well-known for their Bone-pulse bloodline which lets them reconfigure their skeletal structure into shielding, weapons and other things. Other known physical Kekkai Genkai include self-healing and limb elongation._

_There are certain Kekkai Genkai that do not fall into these categories. The Hatake clan were renowned for an unusual type of white chakra which allowed them to use less for a greater result. The Uzumaki clan (now virtually extinct) had chakra levels so high that they could externalise it in the form of chains or even swords comprised of pure chakra._

_Whenever two bloodlines are mixed, the child generally only gains one Kekkai Genkai, assuming that the Kekkai Genkai are not of the same type. If they are, the end result is that the child usually gains neither. On rare occasions, however, two Gekkai Genkai can merge to form a new one which may or may not seem similar to the originals. However, some Kekkai Genkai follow different rules. These "recessive" Kekkai Genkai do not interact with others but only rarely surface in the clans they are found in. It is not unknown for one of these to appear apparently out of nowhere, having skipped several generations before activating while others are present in every generation, but require initialisation by an external agency..._

_{[Extract from A Guide to Kekkai Genkai for Bakas, Konoha Shinobi library]}_

..o..

..o..

..o..

The small, blond-haired rag-clad boy fled through the twisting alleys away from the angry mob seeking him. He had once again been locked out of the orphanage where he was meant to live and although that normally mean that he simply scrounged some food from bins and found a small corner to curl up in, this night was different for a reason that made no sense.

It was like his birthday.

On his birthday, which co-incided with the defeat of the Kyuubi by the sacrifice of the Yondaime Hokage, the boy found himself targeted by the mob and beaten almost to death.

Yet today wasn't his birthday.

Fleeing from the thrown stones and glittering knives, the boy kept running, afraid to stop, unable to understand what he had done to cause such hatred, unable to learn that this time, it was because a couple of drunks had spotted him, and the whole thing had snowballed unexpectedly.

"Ooof!"

The boy cannoned into the figure that had dropped down from the wall, knocking it over and causing it to drop the bag it was holding. The bag opened and a young bound and gagged girl rolled out, eyes wide in panic.

"You little brat!"

The boy dodged the knife-slash and leapt backwards as the man tried to kill him. Pounding feet sounded and the man snarled as an angry group of robed adults appeared.

"Hold it right there!"

Panicking, the boy fled, ignoring the cut on his arm and the shouts for him to stop. Fleeing randomly from the angry man, he soon found himself at a damaged gate, on the far side of which was a veritable wall of plants. Carefully squrming through it, he slipped through and moved into the forest looking for a place to hide. Within moments, he was hopelessly lost and then he froze as a pair of eyes opened up in front of him. Fora moment that seemed to stretch out into a year, the boys blue eyes were transfixed on the golden slit-pupiled eyes staring back at him, and then the eyes moved, revealing the shape they were part of. The giant tiger prowled forwards and stopped just in front of the boy.

"Are... are you a friend? I'm... Naruto..."

The tiger sniffed at the boy, then its head snapped forwards, grabbing him by the back of the tattered jacket. Picking him up, the tiger turned and vanished tracelessly into the area known to the Konoha shinobi as the Forest of Death.


	16. Tiger Of The Leaf 1

**Chapter One**

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The background noise of the Forest seemed subdued in the clearing where a few score of giant tigers relaxed. Even the great spiders with which they constantly fought for food were not foolish enough to attack them in the glade that they had claimed as their own. However, today it was not just the tigers in the glade. Their attention was fixed on a small, rag-clad shape sleeping on the flank of one of the younger members of the group.

"_Are you sure that this is wise, Hunter From Shadows"_ growled the largest of the tigers, the one with the most scars and one eye milky from a battle fought long ago. _"You know that the two-legs hunt us, as we hunt them. To bring one into our clan..."_

"_He is but a cub."_ came the reply, fangs barely concealed. _"And he has passed the initiation."_

"_Which you gave to him without informing us!"_

"_That is correct, Great Elder. The cub and I have shared our blood, and you can see the results. He is the Promised One, the cub of the One Long Lost. Do you deny that he has taken the attributes of the Clan?"_

Silence answered the query and Hunter From Shadows looked down at the small figure curled up against him.

"_By the ways of the Clan as held in song through the generations since we were sundered from the Kin-On-Two-Legs, I claim this... Naruto... as my kin-brother. The Bond has been formed, he will understand us as we understand him. His path is mine and mine is his. __**And I shall rip apart any who right deny me this**__!"_

For several moments none of the large beings moved and the tension increased until the Elder sighed and turned his head away.

"_I am not convinced... but the ways of the Clan are what have let us survive here for many seasons. Very well, Hunter From Shadows. When... Naruto... awakes, we shall see if we can use him to claim the lands promised to us by the One Long Lost. I for one look forwards to not having to battle constantly, to seeing more of our cubs survive. The Clan will support you and we will train him in our ways."_

..o..

Naruto slowly rose from the depths of slumber and snuggled deeper into the soft warmth. A few moments passed, then his eyes shot open as memory returned. Before he could do more than inhale sharply, a voice sounded.

"_Good morning, cubling. You have slept well, a full day and night. The Clan has gathered some food for you, you should eat. We have much to discuss."_

Naruto blinked in suprise. He had understood every single part of the speech, even though it had sounded like a series of growls, snarls and coughs. Shaking his head to try and clear it, he raised one hand to rub at his face, then froze, staring at it, his eyes widening.

"My hand! My hands! They're... what happened to my hands! What happened to my feet? What the... I have a tail? What's going on?!"

A large paw knocked him down and gently restrained him. Struggling against the gentle weight, Naruto found himself looking up into the face of a cat larger than anything he had seen before.

"_What happened? Simple, your bloodline limit was activated. With a bit of training, you will be the fastest, strongest, most agile two-leg in the Land of Fire."_

"But... but my skin, it's furry..."

"_It is part of your Kekkai Genkai, young one. The Clan accepts you, little tiger of the wind. We of the Shadow Tigers will protect you until you can protect yourself. We will teach you the ways of the Clan, how to hunt, how to stalk and how to fight. We will teach you the use of Chakra and should you prove yourself worthy, as I have no doubt you will, we will teach you the ways of the Sage. And when you pass our first tests, we shall grant you the right to summon our brethren of the five Great Clans who live in the Realm Beyond The Shadow."_

Naruto stared at the large being who had, during his speech, released him and settled down.

"Who... who are you?"

"_I am your bond-partner, Hunter From Shadows, but you can call me Kage, Naruto. And as to how I know your name, the Bond between us let me see your memories. You have had a harsh life, little maelstrom, but that is over. You have been renewed, Kazetora Naruto!"_

"Cool..."

"_Very."_ Kage chuckled. _"But there is one thing that you must do first... you need a bath!"_

"What?!" Naruto half-screamed as Kage picked him up and moved towards the stream that ran along the side of the glade. "A bath? No, put me down! Put me down! I don't want a bath, I don't wanna..."

His protests were cut off as he was dropped into the pond.

..o..

"Wow..."

Naruto smiled as he flexed his fingers. Although slightly shorter than they had been, he was not disappointed since his fingernails had been replaced with retractile claws that glittered in the light. Similar claws were on his toes and he had to keep reminding himself to keep them retracted in order to avoid having them catch on the ground and causing him to trip up.

Again.

His skin had also changed. No longer was it the dirt-ingrained pale pink as it had been, instead it was covered in short fur, white with black stripes while the skin underneath the fur had toughened up, making it harder for him to be stabbed or cut. Although he missed his spiky blond hair, he accepted its loss since it would have impeded the motion of his reshaped ears which he could swivel to catch any noise that caught his attention. The whiskers on his cheeks were not birthmarks any more, but real whiskers, having transformed when his Kekkai Genkai activated and which flanked the short muzzle on his reshaped face.

Any observer would have been hard-pushed to recognize him, only the colour of his eyes remained unchanged, although the pupils were those of a feline.

"_You have adapted to your true form well, cub."_ Kage rumbled, walking up to his side and sniffing at him in greeting. Naruto sniffed back, savouring the complex scents he was learning to decode and Kage unleashed a rumbling purr. _"Yes, you have indeed adapted. You can run through the trees, you can prowl in silence and you are learning to fight faster than we expected. For being here only six moons, you are doing very, very well."_

"Thank you, Kage-nee-san." Naruto smiled. "Are we going hunting again? I love watching as you rip those spiders apart."

"_Alas, no."_ Kage sighed, _"The Elder wishes to speak with you. The seasons are turning and if you are to be the one who will lead us, you need to learn the ways of the two-legs as well as those of the Clan."_

"So Elder-Sama is going to teach me, nii-san?"

"Not exactly..."

Naruto spun round to face the Elder, who was settling down, then almost as quickly dropped into a respectful crouch, head tilted to one side to expose his throat.

"Elder-sama."

"Naruto." The Elder replied, hiding his amusement at how well Naruto had adapted to using the formalities that he had been taught. "I have taught you much, the speech of the two-legs and how they interact. It is almost time for you to use this knowledge to aid the Clan."

"The Clan saved me, if I can aid it in return, please tell me how."

The Elder exchanged a glance with Kage, then turned his attention back to the two-leg that had managed to become precious to the entire Clan, even those who had been most vocal in their displeasure about having him join them.

"It is time you learned another Tale of the Clan. Settle yourself."

Naruto nodded and waited for Kage to lie down. Settling down between Kage's spread front paws, he leaned against his adopted brother's neck.

"The Clan came to Konoha during the Third Shinobi War, following the trail of the last of the Namikaze, the clan which had the Kekkai Genkai known to the humans as the Tiger Eye, the _Toragan_. The _Toragan_ in its strongest form is what you have, despite the fact that you carry within you the Biju known as the Kyuubi No Kitsune, but even in its weakest form, it had many advantages. Those who carried the _Toragan_ had sharper senses and could heal far faster than any without the Kekkai Genkai. Their fingernails were also stronger, but not as strong as the claws of the true users of the _Toragan_ and they could understand the Clan.

"The clan who carried the _Toragan_ were warriors, but they were a small clan. Over the centuries they were known as true heroes, the last carrier of the Toragan was your father. The humans called him by many names. The Yondaime Hokage, The Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato. We came here just before the Kyuubi attack and, at his request, became the guardians of this forest until he could arrange to have us accepted into Konoha proper and the females, younglings and elders moved to his lands.

"Sadly, he died before that could happen and we have been here since."

The Elder paused and glanced at Naruto to see if he had understood. Naruto nodded slowly.

"So... my dad was the Hokage, but he died before he could complete his promise? Then I'll do it!"

"It will be tricky." The Elder said. "He had many enemies who would kill you if they found out you were his son. And more who would kill you if they knew of the demon you keep imprisoned just by existing. No-one will believe you if you tell them the truth of who you are, they will not want to believe, for it would mean that they would need to accept that they betrayed him in how they abused his son."

"But, if I can't say I am his son, then..." Naruto trailed off and the Elder gave a bark of laughter.

"His son, no, but the son of his younger twin brother Arashi... _That_ you could claim. We found his body on the way here, but we could never find the right time to tell Minato that his long-lost brother was dead, we could not risk distracting him from his duties, and then it was too late. We shall claim that Arashi was your father and since he and Minato were identical twins, your blood will not go against this claim. That way, you can claim your father's legacy without his enemies coming to kill you."

Naruto nodded, then he frowned again. "So, Elder-sama, how do we do this?"

"We leave Konoha using the secret tunnel at the dark of the moon, five days from now. We will journey to the destroyed village of Whirlpool, train you further for several years, then return. That way, should they try to track us..."

"Then they will think we came from Whirlpool, or at least through it! Brilliant!" Naruto crowed, then he stiffened. "Please forgive me, Elder-sama. I was excited..."

"There is nothing to forgive, cubling." The Elder said reassuringly. "It is good to see that your mind works well. There is, however, one thing you must do. Your name must change for this to work, you may reclaim it when you are secure. From the time we leave, we will train you to answer to your new name, Namikaze Toramaru."

..o..

The forest outside Konoha was silent, the normal noises conspicuous by their absence. The reason for the silence was the veritable flood of black-striped white-furred beings moving between the trees. Despite their size and numbers, they left almost no trace of their passing, nothing that even a regular Jonin Shinobi would have spotted. Only an Aburame bug-user or an Inuzuka dog-sibling could have followed them, and even then, only had they known where to look.

And the only human who knew of the exodus was asleep on the back of one of the tigers.

Unknown to the departing group, the Inuzuka, the Hyuuga and Aburume had been scouring the forest up until a month previously, hoping to find any trace of the boy. His lineage had not been revealed, but rumours of his Jinchuuriki status had been confirmed, as had the fact that he had vanished without trace, possibly taken by an enemy who wished to weaken Konoha. The entirety of the Konoha intelligence service had been instructed to keep an eye out for him, and had been provided with pictures of the blond-haired boy, a fact which even by itself would ensure that they would not be able to find him. For the Hyuuga, the fact that the young boy had saved their clan-heir and then fled from them in fear had them searching so that they could atone, a search that had failed.

The forest remained silent as the Clan moved on their way with their newest charge, who had been given the greatest gift he could ever receive.

Family.


	17. Tiger Of The Leaf Return 1

**Tiger Return Chapter One**

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Gatehouse duty was one of the most boring jobs in Konoha, and was generally rotated between newly-minted Chunin. It was the turn of the two friends Iruka and Mizuki to sit behind the desk in the open hut, and it had been a quiet day.

A very quiet day.

"Check."

Mizuki cursed silently as he gazed down at the Shogi board perched on the edge of the desk between him and his friend.

"Dammit. How do you keep doing that to me? I was just about to spring my trap!"

"I noticed. But you were concentrating so hard on your trap, you failed to see mine."

Mizuki glared at the board, trying to see any way out that would not leave his side devastated. With a sigh, he moved one of the Gold Generals back in an attempt to protect and regroup, only to wince as Iruka moved a piece that Mizuki had overlooked.

"And I believe _that_ is check-mate."

"...it is. Again." Mizuki said, admiration and irritation warring in his voice. "I don't know how you do it. We've been playing Shogi for years, and I can count my victories on my fingers."

Iruka smiled as he started returning all the tiles to their starting positions.

"You keep going for the short-term gains, overlooking the long-term consequences. That means I can keep suckering you into traps and when you panic, you start to ignore small but important details. As I said before, you really need..."

"...to keep the big picture in sight." Mizuki chorused and Iruka gave an embarrased smile.

"I say that too often, don't I?"

"You do." Mizuki smiled. "And one day I'll listen... you see that?"

Iruka turned round and looked down the road.

"Dust cloud. Something's coming, a caravan by the size of the dust. Can you..?"

Iruka glanced round only to see that Mizuki had already placed the Shogi board on the shelf underneath the desk and had pulled out the entry-form clip-board.

"Thanks. Okay, they should be coming into view... about... what in Kami's name?"

Mizuki opened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak at the sight of the large tigers slowly pacing towards Konoha. The sight of the tigers alone would be enough to silence most people, but if one added the small boy leaping from tiger to tiger in excitement and the packs that many of the tigers were carrying, even Mizuki's normal sarcasm was overwhelmed.

"Mizuki... I think we need the Hokage here. And reinforcements. Lots and lots of reinforcements..."

"...right. I... I'm gone."

A change in the air indicated Mizuki's departure and Iruka gazed at the still-distant but approaching tigers. Already they had passed by a couple of markers which gave him an idea of how large they were, and they were indeed huge. The largest of them was easily seven feet tall at the shoulder and they carried their heads high, looking round with undisguised curiosity while smaller tigers, obviously cubs despite their size, gambolled around their paws and dashed between their legs.

"Hurry up, Mizuki..." he breathed nervously.

..o..

An open-air meeting of the Council was almost unheard of, but the sight of the Hokage sprinting to the main gate with over a dozen Shinobi trying to keep up with him had caused comment. The various Clan Heads and their retinues had shown up within moments, proving once again that even the speed of light is slow compared to the spread of rumour in a Shinobi village, and the civilian members had caught up soon after, mostly red-faced and gasping for air as they staggered towards the impromptu gathering. The walls were crammed with ninja trying to get a good view, many of them crowding the walkway while others stood on the walls themselves, using their Chakra skills to stand on the vertical surfaces.

In front of the crowd of ninja and onlookers, the great tigers simply sprawled across the road, their relaxed postures an eloquent, silent affirmation of their lack of desire for combat. All eyes, however, were transfixed on the three figures standing in front of the gate. Two of the tigers, the smaller still topping six foot at the shoulder and the larger easily being seven and a half, flanked a small figure who barely reached their bellies, yet still looked incredibly unconcerned by the massive beings.

"Wow, what a lot of people. Hi, people!"

A wave of chuckles and laughter rose at the innocent greeting and many of the crowd waved back at the bouncing boy.

"Calm down, cub. They are here to greet all of us, assuming this is the right place." The crowd fell silent as the largest being spoke, his voice understandable despite the growling accent. "We are here to meet with the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato of Konohagakure. Is he here? I am sure he would like to meet his nephew. And maybe his son would like to meet his cousin."

The shocked silence that had greeted the fact that the largest cat could talk seemed as nothing compared to the ringing silence that followed the declaration, then a robed figure stepped forwards.

"The Yondaime Hokage died a bit over seven years ago. But I was unaware he had any living family."

"Really?" the Elder asked, sounding suprised. "We've been tracking him for almost six years, ever since his twin Arashi passed away, leaving young Namikaze Toramaru here in our care. We travelled to Whirlpool after hearing a rumour that he had married one of the Uzumaki clan, I believe her name was Kushina, but the village was in ruins. With no sign of any Uzumaki survivors, we came here after collecting what scrolls and treasure we could find, intending to deliver them to Kushina, Minato or their son, Naruto. Are either of them here? Did they leave after Minato died?"

The already-deep silence grew deeper as the crowd started to realise what had just been said, that the young child which the village had tried to ignore was actually the son of their greatest hero. After a few moments of almost-frantic consultation with the clan-heads, the robed figure turned back.

"Kushina died at the same time as Minato, they were killed defeating the Biju known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Their son, Naruto, vanished several years ago, we have been unable to find any trace of him and believe that he was killed by a ninja from Kumo."

The rising rumble of discontented conversation slammed to a halt as the preposterous claims of the tiger were confirmed. Several moment passed, then the tiger sighed.

"I see. Well, we are here now. We had hoped to activate Naruto's Kekkai Genkai as Toramaru's has been activated and Minato's was not, but if he is gone... We wish to claim sanctuary as Toramaru is, apparently, the last surviving Namikaze. We, the Kagetora Clan, will remain by his side and when more Namikazes are born, we will Bond with them as Kage has with Tora here."

"Why do you have funny eyes?"

Hyuuga Hiashi blinked, then looked down to where the young fur-covered child was staring up at him. Glancing at his brother, who was smirking at him, he looked back down at Toramaru.

"It's because I'm a Hyuuga. They let me see all round me without having to turn my head."

"Wow! That's really cool! I wish I could do that, I'd be able to see Kage-nii-san creeping up on me. He keeps pouncing me, you know. He says it's to help me learn, but I think it's because he just enjoys it."

The smaller of the two tigers looked affronted and a gust of involuntary laughter rose from those close enough to hear. Even the old, robed man was hard-pressed not to smile.

"As the current Hokage of Konoha, I welcome you and your... companions. Once we confirm you are indeed of the Yondaime's blood, I will be happy to escort you all to your new home. Will you let my med-nin take a small blood sample?"

Toramaru sighed and held out his arm as the nervous med-nin stepped forwards, syringe in hand. As the blood sample was taken, the Hokage turned back to face the tigers.

"May I ask about this Kekkai Genkai you mentioned? I do not recall Minato having one..."

..o..

"Wow..."

Kage nodded in agreement as the gate opened to reveal a large mansion set in a huge acreage. Beside them, Hizashi, who had found himself 'volunteered' to lead the Clan to their new home and watch to see if the Blood-Seal on the gates would recognize Toramaru, bowed and motioned for them to move through.

"Welcome to the Namikaze mansion, your new home."

Toramaru looked round, then his gaze fastened on a small figure that had retreated behind the corner.

"Who's that?"

Before Hizashi could do more than blink at the apparently random question, Toramaru seemed to vanish in a blur and a small _"eep!"_ sounded. As Hizashi spun round, Toramaru re-appeared, half-dragging a young girl with him.

"Hizashi-sama, she's got the same eyes you do! Do you know her?"

"...Indeed I do." Hizashi said, managing to restrain his smile. "She is my niece, Hinata. Hinata, what are you doing here, you should be with... hello, Ko."

"My apologies, Hizashi-Sama." the new arrival gasped, trying to regain his breath. "I was escorting her back from the park when she saw you and your... your... them. It took me a moment to work out where she had gone."

"So your name is Hinata? I'm Tora! Namikaze Toramaru! Want to help us explore? This looks like a great place. Hey, Kage! This is Hinata. Hinata, my bond-brother, Kage."

Hinata looked at the looming tiger and to Hiashi's proud amazement, she didn't faint, but bowed. "It's an honour to meet you, Kage-san."

Kage lowered his head in acknowledgement and then lay down with a slight growl. Toramaru's eyes lit up.

"Really? Great, thanks. Come on, Hinata, Kage says he'll carry us!"

Toramaru leapt onto Kage's back, then pulled the startled Hinata up behind him, wrapping his tail around her waist. As she grabbed on for dear life, Kage stood up and strolled in through the gates. Hizashi stared after them for a moment, then hurried to catch up and ensure that his niece was not about to fall off, Ko following nervously behind him.

..o..

The council hall was a veritable cacophany of noise with the civilians shouting to be heard, the clan heads enraged at the holding back of information and the three Elder Advisors trying to put their own views forth. After a few moments, Sarutobi slammed his hands down on the table.

"SILENCE! Thank you. Now I will take questions but only from those I select. Hyuuga Hiashi, your clan has spent the most time with our newest arrivals, you have any questions?"

"Just one, Lord Hokage. I have no doubt that young Namikaze Toramaru is a true Namikaze despite his appearance, the Blood Seal recognized his blood, removing all doubt. But what is the reason for his... appearance?"

"According to the Elder of the Kagetora," Hiruzen said, "Minato had the _passive_ version of the Toragan, boosted reflexes, healing and senses. However, the true potential of the Toragan needs to be unlocked by the Kagetora Clan via a rite that they hold secret. Once activated, the user of the Toragan becomes like Toramaru, gaining enhanced speed, agility, strength, senses... and a bodyform similar to that of the Kagetora. In addition, the Toragan allows for the forming of a telepathic link between the wielder and one of the Kagetora, a link far more than what you share with your nin-ken, Tsume. In fact, the link is closer to that of the Yamanaka-clan's main Jutsu."

The leader of the Inuzuka raised her eyebrow at the statement, but to Hiruzen's relief, she didn't protest.

"In addition, the Kagetora are as intelligent as we humans, albeit somewhat more... direct. They live for a long time, too, and once they develop to a certain point, are capable of learning to speak our tongue, should they choose. Like your partner Kuromaru, for example. The Kagetora Elder and I had a long discussion about the uses and limitations of the Toragan. Next question, Inuzuka Tsume."

Tsume blinked a few times, then leaned forwards. "I do not wish to sound like I'm jealous, but from the size of the... the Kagetora, does this mean that we Inuzuka need to start worrying?"

Hiruzen gave her a reassuring smile. "There are still under a hundred Kagetora, and only _one_ known Toragan wielder. It will be several generations at least before we can field them in numbers even a fraction of the Inuzuka pack. And with their size, their combat ability may be higher on an individual basis, but for long-distance tracking and stealth infiltration, and the fact that they do not have anything like the Inuzuka merging jutsus... I do not think you need to worry. Uchiha Fugaku?"

"As leader of the Military Police, I must ask if any of them would be willing to join our ranks. We could try and find... bond-brothers, was it? from among my clan. Surely the Sharingan..."

"Would not help in this instance." Sarutobi interrupted. "From what the Elder said, only a half-dozen of them speak our tongue fluently, although most understand it. The Bond itself _requires_ the Toragan, no other Kekkai Genkai will do, and while you can ask them if they are willing to help, the choice is theirs and theirs alone. If they say no, do not push them. _I_ wouldn't want to risk angering them. Any more questions?"

'_And there is no way I'm letting you know he's really Naruto.'_ Sarutobi reflected, remembering his shock when the Elder had explained the deception and the reasons for it. _'I failed you once, Minato, by not protecting your son and relying on the villagers being more intelligent than they actually are. I am not failing you again.'_

..o..

Hiashi nodded at the two gate-guards and stepped into the Hyuuga compound. As he approached the house, his brother opened the door and bowed in greeting.

"I hope the meeting went well, brother. Namikaze Toramaru and all but one of his friends have settled into the Namikaze mansion and its grounds. They've asked if Hinata and Neji are willing to visit, I said that I'd relay their request."

"I see no reason why not." Hiashi allowed. "After all, he is the nephew of the Yondaime."

Hizashi nodded and Hiashi looked at him suspiciously.

"What is so funny?"

"Oh, Hinata impressed the Kagetora today." Hizashi smirked. "In fact, she befriended the sister of Kage, the Kagetora Bonded to young Namikaze. It's not a true Bond, but the two of them are already close. In fact, I believe that Hinata's gained a new guardian out of this, one that even an elite Kumo-nin would fear to go up against."

Hiashi's eyes widened and his pace increased. Reaching his daughter's bedroom door, he opened it slightly and his gaze met the calm gaze of the giant tiger curled protectively around the sleeping shape of his beloved child.

"Her name is Flower Blossoming In The Sunrise, but she answers to Kyouka." Hizashi half-whispered. "Hinata actually offered her a cinnamon roll, something I've never seen her do before."

Hiashi nodded, remembering how much his daughter loved cinnamon rolls. For her to relinquish one was almost unheard of.

"I see no reason to worry about it tonight." He said. "Now, I believe that the Elder Council are waiting to hear about what happened at the meeting today, yes? Let's not keep them waiting."

..o..

Hinata started to wake, slowly drifting out of the soft realms of sleep. For a few moments, her mind remained blank as sensations filtered through her sleep-fogged mind. In the background, the quiet, cultured noise of the awakening household was just about recognisable, but it was in turn almost drowned out by a noise that she knew she had heard before, but never before in her room.

She frowned as she concentrated on the noise. It was a kind of deep rumbling, almost a purr…

Hinata snuggled deeper into the furry pillow, luxuriating in the heat radiating from it, and then the pieces came together with an abruptness that catapulted her from her langorous daze into full wakefulness. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, her blanket tumbling off her as the purr grew more intense. Looking round, she met the amused eyes of her new room-mate.

"Good morning, Kyouka." She said quietly. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Kyouka shook her head, then gave Hinata a brief lick on her cheek. The feel of the rough tongue caused Hinata to giggle and she wrapped her arms as far around Kyouka's neck as possible, burying her face into Kyouka's fur as she hugged the Kagetora. A moment later, the door to her room opened.

"Good morning, daughter."

"Morning, Otou-san." Hinata replied, unwillingly ending the hug. As she did so, her father released a small chuckle.

"Breakfast will be served in half an hour." He said. "You have enough time to wash and dress, you may wish to choose clothes that can take some punishment as I am certain you will wish to visit your new friend Tora again today."

Hinata spun round blushing, but her father had already gone.


	18. Senju Naruto 1

_**Authorial Foreword**_

_My knowledge of Naruto (which by the way, I do not own in any way, shape or form) is very limited. Please refrain from flaming. I willingly admit most of you could do a better job…_

_Actually, please do. Are you a true Naruto fan? Can you write? Can you use the enter button to avoid solid blocks of text? If the answer to all the above is yes, then I challenge you to create a story with the same basic plot as this little tale I have managed to barely stitch together, or to continue where I will eventually leave off._

_Oh yeah. Haku is going to be male in this one, when he finally shows up. While Fem!Haku is good for Harem-stories, that is not the type of tale I want to write._

_Not yet, anyway._

_Enjoy!_

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\/\/\/\/\/\/

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**Chapter One**

Fugitive

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Hatake Kakashi removed his ANBU mask as he staggered back from the vast plain of shattered wreckage that had once been a large forest and several districts of Konoha prior to the appearance and rampage of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Holding the scroll he had been tasked with delivering to the council, he took several deep breaths of the cooling night air and wiped away the runnels of perspiration that ran down the exposed portion of his face.

Passing through one of the many secret entrances of the tower, one reserved for the ANBU, Kakashi moved through the secret passages silently, half-bent to ensure that he didn't accidently concuss himself on any of the beams in the low corridor. Although he was not trying to be stealthy, almost a decade of experience and reflex prevented him from making any noise. Reaching a well-oiled trapdoor set into an angled wall, he opened it slightly, then paused at the voice he heard from the council chamber below him.

"…and we have to move now. You heard our ally, the Hokage and the foreign bitch he married are both dead, and the kyuubi's sealed into Minato's brat. We'll be able to get all of those properties and those scrolls at last, just as soon as that demon-kid dies."

"But the child is apparently healthy." another voice said calmly. "And when Sarutobi recovers and reclaims the position of Hokage, he'll look after the kid. He'll either adopt it, or place it in a clan. We all know about our _beloved-Hokage's_ last wishes about his bastard being seen as a hero."

Kakashi's exposed eye widened at the scorn and vitriol of the voices below, but he waited in silence as the conversation continued.

"The Slug-princess has left just as planned, thinking the brat's dead, but the Toad-sage is returning soon." a third voice said. "Whatever we plan to do, we need to do it fast. And deniably."

"You do not need to worry." Danzo's voice purred and Kakashi's blood seemed to turn to ice. "My men are almost in position. Before sunrise, they'll have replaced the demon-child with the body of an orphan conveniently killed in the attack. The brat will become Konoha's secret weapon, an emotionless killer with the power of the Kyuubi and total loyalty to Konoha and only Konoha. And remember that accordint to legend, Bloodlimits are derived from jinchuurikis. Once the weapon hits puberty…"

Kakashi silently slid closed the hatch and backed away, suppressing his chakra as much as he could. The son of his sensei was in danger, and although he didn't recognise some of the voices, he knew Danzo by reputation. The old man was a merciless war-hawk willing to sacrifice his own men for his vision of how Konoha should be. The boy deserved better than that, and he obviously wasn't going to get it from here.

The cold air of the night snapped Kakashi out of his near-stupor and he glanced round, realising that he didn't actually remember traversing the passageway out. Seeing no-one nearby, Kakashi accelerated to the field-hospital where he knew the newborn Naruto was sleeping, unaware that he was an orphan… and the possessor of a burden that could spark wars beyond imagining if word of his power leaked out.

.

The man reaching into the cot froze as the blade erupted from his chest. Eyes wide, but empty, he slowly toppled to the floor as Kakashi retreived his tanto and wiped it with a cloth before re-sheathing it. The infant stirred slightly and Kakashi used a low-level sleep-jutsu to send him deep into a dreamless sleep before looking round at the bodies of those who had died trying to take Naruto, and those who had died trying to defend him. Picking up the bag that the intruders had intended to use, Kakashi carefully picked up the swaddled child and gently placed him into the bag, padding him with rolls of cloth before closing it. Placing it on the table, he closed his eyes briefly and summoned a Kage Bunshin. Together, they rapidly collected the equipment they would need for Naruto, then the clone looked surprised as Kakashi passed over his headband, mask and weapons pouch.

"We're headed out. We'll mark the trees for the chasers, just like a standard pursuit, but we'll split at the big rock. You go to the Valley of the End, throw round some serious jutsus and scatter these like it was a real fight, then dispell. I'll get Naruto somewhere safe."

"Agreed." the clone said, then it looked at the second bag the intruders had brought. Glancing into it, the clone paled, then picked it up and put the bag over its shoulder. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and the clone sighed.

"ROOT made a damn good choice with their victim, he looks a lot like Naruto. They even did a fake seal and whisker-lines. I'll take his body, whoever he really was, and burn it. The remains will make them think that you and he are both dead."

Kakashi nodded, supressing surprise that his clone had thought of something that he had overlooked. "Okay. Let's go."

Both of them vanished into the night.

.

"WHAT!"

The entire council stared at the ANBU messenger, faces blank in shock and dismay. The masked ANBU repeated his report almost emotionlessly.

"Hatake Kakashi, codename Inu, discovered that a group of unknown shinobi had somehow penetrated the perimeter and killed the operatives assigned to safeguard Yondaime Hokage's son, Jinchuuriki Naruto. The unknown Shinobi escaped with Kakashi in hot pursuit. When reinforcements discovered the situation and the message Kakashi had left, they also went in pursuit, following the trail Kakashi had marked.

"Sadly, it was too late. Kakashi managed to catch up with the unknown shinobi at the Valley of the End. They fought, and Yondaime's son was killed during the battle. Kakashi is believed to be deceased, we found his headband, mask and much of his gear around the battlefield, but the surviving enemy shinobi must have taken his body, probably for his Sharingan eye."

"Are we sure Kakashi was really there?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked and the Anbu nodded.

"One of the statues was damaged by a Chidori. From the impact crater, we believe… that Kakashi was performing a suicide attack. The crater was far smaller then normal for a Chidori, and the shape… suggests that the Chidori failed within a second of the impact. Chakra exhaustion is the only explanation."

"How do we know that Naruto was killed?" another counillor asked.

"We identified his remains at the scene." the ANBU replied woodenly. "We buried them and erected a headstone. It seemed somehow appropriate that the son of the Fourth should be buried at the feet of the statue of the First."

"A wise choice." Sarutobi said sorrowfully. "I shall announce this to the village tomorrow. You are dismissed. All of you."

The ANBU vanished and the council rose and filed out, glancing back at the old man who had once been Hokage and was once more. The door clicked shut and Sarutobi didn't move. He simply stared at nothing, unmoving, ignoring the tears that ran down his cheeks and fell onto the council table.

.

Kakashi smiled down at the small boy he held in his arms as he walked into the small town. Glancing round, he froze as he saw a familiar figure.

"No. Kami. Damned. Way."

The figure vanished into a hotel and Kakashi ran after it. Dashing round the corner, he found himself yanked off his feet and slammed into a wall, a hand stronger than steel clamped around his throat.

"I have had a _bad day_!" Tsunade hissed at him. "I've just put my orphaned niece to bed, found out that two of my best friends are dead as well as the student of one of those friends, heard that my old home has been half-flattened and now I have a bounty hunter after me! How much do I owe to whom now?"

Unable to speak due to the vice-like grip on his throat, Kakashi raised Naruto up so that the furious Sannin could see him. Tsunade looked at him, then her eyes widened.

"Is… is that…?"

Kakashi nodded and Tsunade released him.

"Come with me. We need to talk."

.

"…and so we came here." Kakashi finished as Tsunade held a sleeping Naruto in her arms. "Finding you was unexpected, but I decided to take full advantage."

"You had no real plans, hmmm?"

"None whatsoever." Kakashi confirmed. "I have no family left, except Naruto, the son of my Sensei. When I heard what that bastard Danzo had planned, I promised myself I would take care of him, but…" he shrugged and looked up pleadingly, "I don't know how. Please, Tsunade-hime, help me keep Naruto safe."

Tsunade sighed. "Alright. As it happens, I have access to some of my clan accounts. I was hoping to never need to tap them, but… we need a safe place. And not a Hidden Village, we'll be too obvious in one of those. Naruto needs somewhere that no-one knows of his family… of you or me."

"He can't use his clan-name." Kakashi said quietly. "Nor can I, for that matter. Not until he's old enough, trained enough to defend himself from those who want to abuse his power."

Tsunade nodded slowly, then her eyes brightened.

"We'll go to Wave. They have no Hidden Villages, no history of ninjas and they're loosely allied with the Land of Fire, which means that no-one will be expecting fugitives from the Leaf to stop there. We can set up there as medics, I'll see to Naruto's medical and physical training. You have the Sharingan, how many jutsus do you have?"

"Couple of hundred…" Kakashi mused and Tsunade nodded.

"Copy-cat Kakashi. Okay, get some sleep. We leave tomorrow. Once we get set up in Wave, I'll work on getting your Chakra reserves up, they're too low, even with your white chakra giving you a boost. Once Naruto's old enough, we can train him to be a real Shinobi. Oh one more thing. From now on, you'll both call me Kaasan."

Kakashi's uncovered eye widened and Tsunade's grin widened.

"Yep, I've just adopted you both."

.

"No doubt about it, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki is dead." said one of the cloaked figures. "The seal on the kid must have been extraordinary since it seems to have prevented the Kyuubi from being dissipated and reborn when the boy was killed. The Kyuubi is… gone."

"That is… unfortunate." said another one. "Without all nine of the Biju, the plan cannot go ahead. You are positive it is not going to be reborn?"

"Zetsu scoured the entirety of the Land of Fire." the first figure replied. "There was no trace of the Kyuubi's chakra. The Jinchuriki was killed in the Valley of the End and his grave is there. It is occupied, and the Leaf Shinobi are too compassionate to have killed a random child just to mislead others. There is no doubt, the Kyuubi is no more."

For several minutes, a heavy silence descended on the group, then the second figure spoke. "For the Jinchuriki to have been killed so quickly, someone must have sabotaged their security. Someone must be moving against us. Someone from the Leaf, someone who knows about us and what we wanted."

"Danzo." another voice stated and the first figure nodded.

"I agree. That is the only conclusion available. Orochimaru. You know Konoha the best. Go there, locate Danzo and kill him. He has broken the agreement we had, he must die so that all know the consequences of such an act. He must be dead within the week."

"As you command, Leader-sama." A pale-skinned figure almost hissed.

"I must withdraw and meditate about this. Of all the things I had predicted, even I had not foreseen that the Kyuubi would be truly destroyed. And if the Kyuubi is no more, will the other Biju be destroyed as well, now that it is proven that it can be done, or has the technique died with the caster?"

"I will check with my sources, although they probably will not know." Orochimaru said and the leader nodded.

"So long as you try, and report on your findings, that will be fine. Go now."

Orochimaru's chakra silhouette seemed to flicker and fade, then the leader turned to face another of the members.

"Sasori. Your intelligence network surpasses that of all others."

"Find out just what happened to the kid and who's got the cyclops' body." Sasori nodded. "I'll have my agents keep watch for any non-Uchiha who suddenly gains a Sharingan."

"Excellent. Perhaps we will be able to find those who have interfered with our plan and then we can… express our displeasure with them."

"As you command, Leader-sama." Sasori stated as his image vanished.


	19. Senju Naruto 2

_I do not own Naruto. But I do enjoy it (at least the portion before it jumped the shark… check out TVTropes if you fail to understand that expression)_

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\/\/\/\/\/\/

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**Chapter Two**

Homebuilder

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"Home sweet home, maybe." Tsunade said with only a mild hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Close enough to the village to reach it in moments, far enough away that we don't have to worry about a constant demand for hangover cures and people who can't be bothered to take preventative measures against sniffles. Kashi, your opinion?"

Kakashi blurred into visibility behind Tazuna and stepped round him. "I've looked round. It needs quite a bit of work, shingles replacing, walls repairing, windows that need glazing, but it's _almost_ livable at this time. The garden needs some serious work before we can grow anything there."

"I spotted quite a few medicinal herbs on the way!" Shizune chimed in, looking up from the sleeping face of her new young cousin. "We can transfer some and grow a proper medicinal garden, it'll be really useful."

Tsunade nodded, looking up at the peeling façade of the large mansion.

"Oh, I found a couple of interesting rooms at the back." Kakashi added. "One of them will be perfect as a library, although the walkways are so damaged that simply removing them may be for the best. We can always use the tree-walking method to reach the higher shelves, which will also help stop the untrained from reaching them and trying to do things that they can't do. The wing next to it would be good as a hospital."

Tsunade nodded, then half-turned to look at the grey-haired fisherman standing beside her.

"Tell the village council that we'll take it." she said with a slight smile. "You have yourself a medic. But I don't do hangovers."

"Thank you. Thank you." Tazuna said with a wide grin. "That is marvellous. Our own medics at last… the house will be yours, no charge."

"Thank you." Tsunade said. "We'll do our best to help out, but I'm afraid that for a while we'll be busy fixing up this place. If there are any emergencies such as broken bones or similar, don't hesitate to come and get me."

Tazuna bowed.

"Will you need any help getting your luggage up the track?"

"We'll be fine, thank you." Kakashi said.

"Then I probably have to be going." Tazuna said with another bow. "Good luck, and thank you."

They watched as Tazune vanished round the first corner of the twisting track that led to the village, then Tsunade turned and strode through the open doors and into the main lobby of the large, abandoned mansion. Looking round, she gave a small nod.

"Okay, we'll turn this hall into a pharmacy so we can hand out medicines quickly to those who want them. Kashi, is that wing the one that you thought would be a good hospital?"

"Yes, Kaasan."

"I'll take a look soon. The main wing is over there, let's find some rooms and set up the sleeping rolls, then check out the kitchen. I hope it's in good shape, I'm getting hungry. Shizune?"

Shizune looked up from where she was playing with Naruto, letting him grip her finger and smiling at him as she pretended to try and wrestle the finger from his grasp.

"Yes, Kaasan?"

"Come on, let's get ourselves sorted."

"Yes, Kaasan."

.

"Welcome, welcome."

Kakashi smiled under his mask as he entered the shop to the shopkeeper's greeting.

"Good morning, Inaku-san." He said politely. "Have the new books and scrolls that Tsunade-kaasan ordered arrived yet?"

Inaku grinned and bent down to pull out a large box. "Here you go, Kashi, more of those medical tomes for the villages favourite medics. And more tools for your renovations, although the mansion has never looked better as it is. The lumber you requested is out the back."

"Well, you cn never have too many sheds." Kakashi eye-smiled. "And how is Komara doing? Has he fully recovered from his fall from that tree?"

"Almost healed and a little bundle of energy." Inaku's grin widened. "Tsunade-sama said another day or so before the cast can be safely removed."

"Good to hear." Kakashi said with a slight bow as he picked up the books.

"Kashi..?"

"Yes?"

"How come you're not a medic like Tsunade and Shizune? You have skills…"

Kakashi blinked a couple of times, then he smiled. "Not all of us Senju are full medics. I deal with the other things, gardening, repairs, paperwork, finances… all the things that don't involve blood and bones. I have the skills of an emergency medic, but that's mainly keeping people alive until the experts can arrive."

"And young Ruto?"

Kakashi laughed. "He's barely able to roll over, let alone perform operations. As he grows, we'll train him in the ways of the medics and the ninja. What he chooses to do is completely up to him, though. And whatever my little brother chooses, I'll support him as best as I can."

"Will he wear a mask, like you?"

Kakashi almost blinked in suprise. Tsunade had been trying to formulate a type of makeup that would cover Naruto's whisker-markings without looking artificial, but the idea that Inaku had just innocently suggested…

"It _is_ a Senju family tradition." he lied smoothly. "Once a boy is able to walk, he is given his first mask and he takes it off only for his family and closest friends."

"You medics have the strangest customs." Inaka laughed. "But it doesn't matter to us. Have a good day now."

"Thank you." Kakashi said as he left the store. He really would have to remember to tell Tsunade about the new 'ancient Senju tradition'. If he did it right, maybe she wouldn't increase his ninja training.

Well, hopefully not by too much. His chakra reserves were, after all, growing nicely due to her training. And his newly-learned ability to punch through boulders like Tsunade was nice. Another thing to teach his little brother when he got old enough.

.

"Catch him!"

Kakashi blinked as a giggling high-speed blond blur scrambled down the corridor towards him at a speed that would make many genin jealous, followed by Shizune and Tsunade who were both trying (and failing) to catch him and succeeding only in getting in each others way, only their ninja reflexes stopping them from measuring their lengths along the ground. Carefully placing his shopping down at the side of the hall, Kakashi moved into the path of his six-month-old adoptive brother as he tried to get past and scooped him up, balancing the giggling boy on his hip as Tsunade and Shizune finally caught up.

"Thanks." Shizune panted as Naruto giggled. "If he can move that fast _now_, what will he be like when he actually walks?"

Kakashi nodded, mentally replaying the last few minutes in his head.

"Amazing how he moves… almost like a dog. Maybe he'll slow down a bit when he has to worry more about balancing… or not…"

Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes, releasing Kakashi from her glare. "Little gaki's getting way too mobile. And I still haven't come up with a way to hide his whiskers, he keeps smearing the makeup off."

"Ah…" Kakashi said slowly, catching the attention of the other two adults. "I came up with an idea in townabout that, based on something that one of the shopkeepers said. An old Senju tradition that I came up with less than an hour ago."

Tsunade raised a brow. "I'm listening."

.

"Okay, that's this set done."

Shizune glanced over from where she was racking the scrolls and her gaze flickered across the line of books.

"Nice one, you managed to get them into the right order this time."

Kakashi gave a half-embarrassed shrug.

"How was I supposed to know how they should arranged the first time? I only studied basic field-medic skills in the academy, not the super-advanced skills that Tsunade teaches."

"Speaking of super-advanced skills," Shizune said slowly, "Do you know any of Naruto's dad's skills? And will you teach him when he's old enough?"

For an answer, Kakashi held up his hand and a spiralling sphere of chakra formed in it.

"I will give my otouto his legacy." Kakashi said soberly and he let the sphere dissipate. "Even if I have to take a vial of his blood and infiltrate Konoha to reclaim the scrolls when it is time… actually, I may have to do that since they think he's dead."

Shizune shook her head. "I think it had better be Tsunade and myself who does that." She said. "I mean, your hairstyle is unmistakable, and although we've claimed the whole males-wear-a-mask-thing as a Senju tradition, that eyepatch is a dead giveaway."

"At least Naruto and I go under different names in public." Kakashi groused and Shizune giggled.

"You both drop the first syllable. That's it." She laughed through her hands. "If _that's_ different names…"

Kakashi sighed and turned to the next box of books.

At least the books didn't keep undermining his ego.

.

"Awwww."

Kakashi looked round to see what Shizune had reacted to and found her standing in the door to the study, her hands clasped just under her chin as she stared into the room, a silly grin on her face. Curiosity won out and he walked over to peer over her shoulder.

"Okay, that _is_ cute."

Tsunade cracked open one eye and gave them a warning glare before glancing down and smiling. In her arms, head nestled against her shoulder, was Naruto, fast asleep with a wide smile on the part of his face that was still visible, his body limp with the total relaxation that only the very young can achieve.

As Kakashi watched, he felt Shizune lean backwards against him. A moment later, she pulled out a camera and, pausing just long enough to ensure that the flash was disabled, she took a picture of the scene in front of them. At the click, Tsunade re-opened her eye and gave a ferocious glare. Shizune smiled sweetly and held up the camera.

"For the album." She explained quietly. Tunade seemed to consider this, then gave a slight nod before relaxing again on the couch. Kakashi tapped Shizune on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's let Kaasan and otouto get their sleep. Kaasan's been overwhelmed with paperwork and patients recently, and Ruto's obviously recharging for his next escapade."

Tsunade twitched slightly, but refused to react further as Shizune and Kakashi retreated, Shizune grinning widely and Kakashi eye-smiling. Naruto simply sighed in his sleep and snuggled closer to Tsunade.

.

"Gaah! Dammit!"

Shizune sprang though the door as if propelled by a fuuton jutsu, coming to a halt as she took in the sight before her.

Standing in the middle of the yard, Kakashi glared at the chickens around him, fingers twitching before he tried to grab one of them. The targeted bird managed to avoid his grasp, running off and Kakashi snarled in frustration as he sprawled in the dirt.

"I swear, these damned things _have_ to be summons!" He growled, pulling himself to his feet. "_No_ normal bird can escape me like that!"

Shizune shook her head and palmed a senbon needle, throwing it with a flick of her wrist. The needle sliced thrpugh the air and one of the chickens collapsed. Kakashi shot her a betrayed look, then picked up the chicken with a sigh.

"Give it here." Shizune smirked. "I still remember the last meal you tried to cook. You may be good at campfire foods, but anything more complicated…"

Kakashi nodded and handed over the chicken with a mental sigh of relief. He still didn't know how he'd managed to turn the last piece of meat he'd tried to prepare flourescent green and purple, but the end result was that he'd been unofficially banned from making anything more complex than onigiri.

At least Shizune was skilled in the kitchen, as was Tsunade, and he was learning.

"When is Tsunade due back?"

"In a couple of hours." Shizune said, glancing up at the sky. "I should have the food prepared by then. How are you doing with listing your techniques?"

"Over seven hundred and fifty of them written down with full descriptions and hand-signs." Kakashi said with a slight shrug. "I hadn't actually realised that I had copied so many, to be honest."

Shizune nodded, then re-entered the house with Kakashi following her.

"Kashi, we may have a mission soon. We're running low on certain herbs and need more from the Land of Water, but they're having a civil war, so…"

"You need me to get in, get the herbs and bring them out without getting caught." Kakashi nodded, then his eye narrowed into the upturned U of his smile. "No problems. Anything else while I'm there?"

"There will be a couple of people you'll need to visit to get some medical scrolls that Tsunade wants." Shizune said as she started to pluck the chicken, dropping the feathers into a small bin placed by the kitchen table for just that purpose.

"Understood." Kakashi nodded. "So, where's the list and when do I set off?"


	20. Senju Naruto 3

_I do not own Naruto. But you knew that. At least, I hope you did…_

.

\/\/\/\/\/\/

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**Chapter Three**

Children

.

"…alright, Kashi." Tsunade sighed, "What did you do?"

"Ummm, I got your scrolls and herbs?" Kakashi offered sheepishly, proffering a sealing scroll which Tsunade accepted. "I also… kind of escorted some refugees to the village. They'll need some medical exams soon, some of them have odd Kekkai Genkais. That's why they asked me to help them."

"You escorted refugees from the Land of Water… just how many refugees are you talking about?"

"Meh, about a hundred or so." Kakashi shrugged. "Mainly women and children, but there were some ninja amongst them. They helped me guard them, you know."

Tsunade facepalmed, then looked at the two young children and a lady standing behind Kakashi. One of the children was a Kaguya, identifiable by the two red spots on his forehead whilst the other was a child of similar age and indeterminate gender with silky black hair.

"And the two children are?"

Kakashi glanced back as if he'd forgotten about them. "Oh, the children! This one is Kaguya Kimimaro, his clan had imprisoned him because he was showing the strongest Kekkai Genkai they had seen and they wanted to turn him into a weapon, so I sort of liberated him along with some of his clan's scrolls and brought him with me. And the other boy is Yuki Haku, and this is his mother Yuki Haruko. His dad tried to kill him when he used _Hyouton_, I was in the area and managed to rescue them both and promised them a new life… when Haruko learned who you were, she asked if she could work for you and since you mentioned that we could always use another med-nin trainee…"

Kakashi trailed off and rubbed the back of his head while Tsunade facepalmed.

"Only you, Kashi, only you…" She sighed, then she shrugged and stepped back, waving for everyone to enter. "Well, come in and welcome."

Haku and Haruko looked at each other and then Haruko led her son in while Kimimaro stayed by Kakashi's side until the taller ninja gently nudged him forwards.

"So, where's… whoah! Gotcha!"

Kakashi grabbed the speeding Naruto up off the floor and knelt down to balance him on his knee as Kimimaro and Haku watched with curiosity.

"Got away from Shizune again, did you? Kimimaro, this is Ruto. He's now your new little brother, alright?"

Kimimaro cocked his head in thought, then carefully reached out, smiling as Naruto promptly latched onto his finger.

"Hello… otouto…"

Haku joined them and Naruto promptly reached out with his other hand. Haku giggled as his finger was captured as well.

"Well, I guess that Ruto just got himself a new brother and a cousin." Kakashi half-joked and Tsunade sighed.

"Okay, Kashi, you're in charge of the brats while I talk to Haruko."

"Of course." Kakashi smiled as he stood up. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and grab some food. I know that you're hungry after all that walking and then we'll get your hair sorted and a Senju mask, shall we, little bro?"

Kimimaro smiled up at Kakashi.

.

Hakoru sat down on the chair that Tsunade indicated, twitching her brown kimono back into position as it tried to ride up, then she gratefully accepted the cup of tea handed to her by Shizune. Tsunade sat down behind her desk and pushed the small pile of paperwork to one side before accepting her own tea.

"So, Yuki Haruko, was it?"

At Haruko's nod, Tsunade continued. "I assume that you have the _Hyouton_ Kekkai Genkai like your son? Excellent, there have been many times that I have wished for more ice than I had available at the time."

Haruko looked surprised and Tsunade used her cup to hide her amusement.

"This isn't the Land of Water, Haruko-san. I'm originally from Konohagakure, where they almost have a fetish for collecting and promoting bloodlimits. Now, I have no objection to you staying here, but there will be a few stipulations."

Haruko swallowed and Tsunade held up a finger.

"One, you _will_ learn at least basic first aid, as will your son as he grows older. Even if it's only enough to keep someone alive until I or another full med-nin can get there."

"I… can agree to that." Haruko said quietly.

"Two," Continued Tsunade, "You will write down any and all _Hyouton_ jutsu you know on scrolls that will be placed in a special section of the library under a seal that only a _Hyouton_ user can open. There are already a couple of ice-type jutsu in the library that you may want to learn, assuming that you don't know them already. Just ask Shizune what system we use there, she'll explain it to you.

"Three. You will learn some chakra-control exercises. At the very least, tree- and water-walking. They will come in useful and Shizune or Kashi can easily help you with them."

"Four, you will help with the chores. We won't demand you take over running the House, only help out with the things you are best at or enjoy. I _will_ ask that you help to look after Ruto, though. Little Gaki has _way_ too much energy."

"I'd like that." Haruko demurred with a soft smile on her face. "I always wanted another child, but I was scared because of my bloodline."

"Word of warning," Tsunade smiled, "Ruto's probably got your son wrapped round his little finger by now. Little tyke's cute as anything and uses it to get out of trouble."

"How old is he?" Haruko asked curiously.

"Almost a year old." Tsunade said with a gentle smile. "Yours?"

"Four." Haruko said with a matching smile and Tsunade stood, extending her hand.

"Welcome to the Clinic Of The Waves, Yuki Haruko."

"Thank you." Haruko replied softly, also rising and clasping Tsunade's hand.

"Shizune will show you to your and Haku's rooms so you can get settled in, then she'll give you a quick tour. I have to finish this damned paperwork."

Smirking, Shizune stepped forwards and guided Haruko out of the office while Tsunade flopped back into her seat, scowling at the piles of paper before her.

.

"…and this is the playroom." Shizune said as she slid the door open. "It opens onto the garden and is generally where Ruto spends the day when he's not charging around the mansion likea blond hurricane."

Haruko giggled at the description as she followed Shizune into the toy-strewn room, then she stared at the sight before them. Kakashi gaze a lazy wave from the comfortable chair by the large window where he was sat reading a scroll while in the corner, Haku, Kimimaru and Naruto were all curled up together in a happy jumble of arms and legs on a futon in the corner.

"Ruto managed to exhaust them both," Kakashi explained quietly, "So I suggested that they had a little nap. Once they'd settled down, they dropped right off."

Shizune returned her camera to her pocket with a smile as she looked at the young trio.

"If I had any doubts, they're gone now." Haruko whispered. "I haven't seen Haku-kun look this happy in months."

"Looks like they're best friends already." Shizune whispered back.

"He'll be overjoyed to learn we're staying." Haruko replied. "So, what needs doing?"

"Well," Kakashi said, standing up and rolling the scroll up, "If you could take over watching them, I probably need to go down to the village. I noticed that we probably need more fish for tonights tea as well as some more Sake for kaasan."

"Of course." Haruko smiled, moving to the vacated seat and settling into it, her eyes carefully watching the three children for any sign of anything being wrong.

.

"Urgh, what a day." Tsunade moaned as she accepted the cup being pressed into her hands. Taking a sip, she froze, her eyes wide, then she stared at the green liquid.

"Wow! This is… wow."

"Thank you." Haruko said as she passed a second cup to Shizune who sipped it appreciatively. "I made some food as well, I've already fed the children. Kashi's watching over them now."

Tsunade shook her head with a grin. "You know, hiring you was probably one of the best decisions I ever made."

Haruko blushed slightly, then quickly vanished from the room, reappearing with a tray of food that she placed on the desk in front of Tsunade.

"Eat up, you need to keep your strength."

Tsunade smiled as she picked up the chopsticks and selected the first bit of sushi. Lifting it to her mouth, she bit into it, then closed her eyes in bliss.

"Mmmmmmmm, this is amazing."

"Thank you." Haruko smiled. "Your sons helped me to make it. And they helped to clean up afterwards."

Tsunade paused for several seconds, then shrugged slightly and helped herself to another serving.

"So, are you enjoying it here? If not…"

"It's wonderful." Haruko interrupted, a soft smile on her face. "_Three_ children to help raise without worrying about their bloodlimits putting them in danger? It's almost like paradise."

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged glances, then Tsunade grinned.

"Be careful what you say, I might ask you to start up a daycare center. You'd have to deal with dozens of hypeactive brats."

Haruko smiled beatifically at the thought, causing Tsunade to sigh and Shizune to look thoughtful.


	21. Senju Naruto 4

_I do not own Naruto. But you knew that. At least, I hope you did…_

.

\/\/\/\/\/\/

.

**Chapter Four**

Visits

.

"Tsunade." Hiruzen said, a small, sad smile flickering on his face. "It's good to see you again."

Tsunade nodded and moved round the desk, her medical reflexes taking over.

"Sensei, what have you been doing to yourself? You look terrible. Your chakra is unbalanced, your control reduced and it looks like you aren't getting enough food or sleep."

"The last few years have been hard. Danzo getting killed and having to re-integrate his ROOT back into the shinobi ranks hasn't helped either." Hiruzen sighed. "Where's your niece?"

"Shizune wanted to pay her respects to Minato and Kushina." Tsunade said truthfully. "I believe she wanted to stop by the remains of the old house, then go to the memorial."

"I engraved their names myself." Hiruzen sighed, looking down at his desk, but Tsunade saw that his gaze was unfocused. "Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. I failed him, Tsunade. I failed Minato, I failed his family."

"But everyone knows." Tsunade said, resting her hand reassuringly on Hiruzen's shoulder. "They know about Minato's son,the burden he was asked to bear and how he was betrayed before the village could see him as the hero he truly was. How is Jiraiya taking it?"

"Jiraiya's out searching for whoever did it." Hiruzen said quietly. "But he said the Toads are being… cryptic about it. They keep referring to Naruto as being _lost_, not actually deceased."

Only decades of self-control kept Tsunade's breath from catching. Fortunately for her, Hiruzen continued without noticing.

"The name Naruto has become quite popular now. In the last seven months, twelve boys were born with that name, and five girls named Naruko were born."

"Kushina would laugh at the confusion in the schools when they all enroll." Tsunade dead-panned and Hiruzen nodded with a sad chuckle.

"She would indeed." He confirmed. "She would indeed."

For several minutes, both of them remained quiet, then Hiruzen coughed.

"I hear you've settled in Wave?"

"Yes." Tsunade said. "I've adopted a couple of the local orphans and have set up a small clinic that I'm thinking of extending at some point. The locals are very happy to have the great med-nin sannin helping to cure their coughs and sniffles. Shizune is happy too, she's fallen for one of the orphans, he's about her age and helps a lot round the clinic. He's got good potential as a ninja, I may train him."

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Train him up enough and I might poach him to become the Godaime Hokage. Kami knows I never wanted this job back…"

A knock on the door caused them to look up, then it opened to reveal Shizune.

"My Lady, Lord Hokage."

"Shizune, how did…"

Tsunade's question trailed off as she remembered who was with them and Shizune lowered her head slightly.

"I got to say and do all that I wanted to, My Lady. Do you wish my further presence, or shall I wait at the hotel for you?"

"I'll join you at the hotel." Tsunade said. "We'll head back tomorrow."

"Yes my lady." Shizune said, bowing before retreating out of the room. Hiruzen and Tsunade watched her leave, then Hiruzen spoke.

"While you're here, do you wish to claim any of the Senju scrolls?"

"Only the medical ones, I'll copy them when I get home and then I'll have the copies sent back here to be used in the hospital." Tsunade said. "I may be living with my new family in Wave, but Konoha is still my true home when all is said and done. I just need more time to come to terms with…"

"Dan and Nawaki." Hiruzen said softly, his voice filled with understanding, glancing at the door where Shizune had vanished. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

"By the way," Tsunade said as a thought occurred to her, "The next time you see the Daimyo, you may want to ask about getting a full alliance with Wave. They don't have a Hidden Village of their own and an alliance would secure that border."

"An excellent idea." Hiruzen smiled. "And of course, having you already there and building up the goodwill won't hurt a bit."

"My thoughts exactly." Tsunade smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

.

The gates receded into the distance, vanishing behind the canopy of the trees as Tsunade and Shizune leapt through the branches.

"So it worked, then?" Tsunade asked after checking that there were no other chakra sources within range. Shizune nodded, patting her bag.

"It did, but I almost failed. There were far more scrolls than I had expected in there, it was fortunate that Minato had been experimenting with new storage seals. He managed to create a storage seal less than a tenth of the size of a normal one, but it still took me twelve scrolls to seal everything."

Tsunade whistled. "Kami, you had to seal the equivalent of a hundred and twenty scrolls of stuff? How much of it was jutsu?"

"About a quarter were books and scrolls, mainly about Fuinjitsu." Shizune replied, ducking as she passed a bit to closely to one of the branches. "There was a _lot_ of gold and jewels, and four of the scrolls are weapons. I almost couldn't _believe_ how many of his Kunai he had pre-stored, two entire scrolls worth."

"Well, at least when Ruto starts learning the _Hiraishin_, he'll have plenty of Kunai to practice with." Tsunade shrugged after several minutes thought. "There were _Hiraishin_ scrolls, weren't there?"

"There were." Shizune nodded. "Three of them, one of them signed by Senju Tobirama."

"You're kidding!" Tsunade gasped. "It's a _Senju_ technique? I thought _Minato_ had created it."

Shizune shook her head. "From what I was able to see from the scroll, Minato refined it, cutting the amount of chakra it needed and minimising the time it took to implement. Tobirama noted that he could ony use it a few times before before needing to rest, Minato could use it hundreds of times and over considerably longer distances."

Tsunade whistled, then slowly nodded.

"If it's based on a Senju technique, that means that we could possibly learn it ourselves, which will help us in teaching it to Ruto when he grows older."

"It'll be useful for going into town and back as well." Shizune grinned. "Just put one tag in the back room of a small building in town and another back in the mansion and… _pop_! Instant movement."

"Might be an idea to install a platform with fake seals on it." Tsunade mused. "Make them look complicated enough and no-one will suspect it's really a small tag that does it. Include a few light-seals for dramatic effect and it'll look cool as anything."

"Put a tag in the Senju mansion and you'll be able to visit Konoha whenever you like." Shizune added, then she grinned. "How many tags do you think Minato left around Konoha?"

Tsunade shrugged. "Probably quite a few. Now, _using_ them is another problem. The old lecher tried and failed to learn it."

Shizune frowned. "Interesting. We both know that it couldn't be his chakra control that was the issue since Jiyaiya-sama is capable of Sage-mode… blood-lock perhaps?"

"We'll find out back at the mansion." Tsunade shrugged as she ducked under a branch growing at _just_ the wrong height. "I hope the scrolls _explain_ the damned technique. I don't want to spark the lecher's curiosity by asking him about the _Hiraishin_."

"That could be a problem." Shizune agreed.


	22. Senju Naruto additional scenes

Scenes that were originally to be included…

.

Scene 1

.

"Ruto-kun!"

Hinata dashed clumsily across the herb garden towards the love of her life (although she still hadn't managed to summon enough courage to tell him that), Ruto, who turned and beamed at her, his welcoming smile somehow obvious despite his mask. As she got close her foot briefly caught on a loose rock and she stumbled forwards, failing to recover as she lost control.

"Hinat-umph!"

Hinata crashed into Ruto and grabbed him to keep her balance just as his arms closed around her to prevent her from falling. She reflexively looked up into the eyes of her saviour just as her momentum…

…caused her lips to meet Ruto's.

Sheer shock held her motionless for a moment, then she relaxed into Ruto's embrace, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the feel of his lips against hers even through the thin layer of fabric, his arms wrapped protectively around her as she enjoyed her first kiss. Opening her eyes again, she found herself looking past Ruto at Tsunade, who was standing watching them with an unreadable expression on her face. Panic rose and the world seemed to whirl away.

.

"Ruto-kun!"

Naruto turned and smiled at his best friend (who he hadn't seen in far too long) as she seemed to dance gracefully through the medical garden towards him. As she got closer, she tripped on a loose stone and Naruto quickly stepped forwards to catch her, his arms scooping her up before she could fall and pulling her close to him…

…and their lips met.

Naruto froze in shock, his mind spinning as she seemed to melt against him, her lips locked onto his through his mask. Never before had he been so simultaneously grateful for and yet so irritated by the tradition that kept all the Senju males masked. For a moment, he feared that she would be angry with him, but then he felt her arms tighten around him and he closed his eyes briefly as he realised that it was not just him that was enjoying the situation.

Naruto opened his eyes just in time to see Hinata open hers, then her eyes widened in shock before rolling up as she collapsed bonelessly.

"Hinata!"

Naruto dropped to his knees as he tried to stop her falling to the ground. Cradling her head against his shoulder, he reached up and quickly checked her pulse and respiration.

"Hinata? Hina-kun?"

"I think she fainted." Tsunade said from behind him, her voice full of amusement. Naruto glanced round and saw Tsunade's eyes crinkled with mirth.

"Fainted? What do you mean, kaa-san?"

"She's _finally_ laid claim on you." Tsunade said, then she sighed at Naruto's confused expression. "I don't know _how_ you missed it, gaki, but Hinata's been in love with you ever since you and Kashi rescued her."

"With… me?!" Naruto exclaimed, his face paling with shock. "But… but… she's from Leaf and I'm the Kyuubi Jinchuriki! The Kyuubi attacked Leaf, how can she..?"

"She does, and I don't think it matters to her." Tsunade said. "Or it won't, if you tell her. You're not the Kyuubi, remember? Now, pick her up, I think it best if she wakes up inside."

Naruto lifted Hinata up and followed Tsunade to Hinata's room. Bending over to put her on her bed, he froze as the situation became clear.

"Kaa-san, she's holding onto me, I can't get loose…"

"Then you should stay with her until she wakes up." Tsunade said as she stepped out of the room, grinning at her adopted son's expression. "You may as well get a nap as well."

"_Kaa-san_!"

.

"So, how are they?"

Tsunade smiled. "Having a nap, girl's got quite a grip. Even laid out cold, she wouldn't let Naru go after he carried her to her room. I just told him to get some sleep and let her keep hugging him."

Kakashi chuckled. "Like that, is it?"

Tsunade nodded, then sighed. "Well, we may as well go and see what her old geezer wants. Coming?"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Kakashi murmured.

.

"Tsunade-sama." Hiashi said, bowing.

"Hiashi-sama." Tsunade replied with a slightly-shallower bow. "I apologise for the delay. You have business you wish to discuss?"

Hiashi glanced at Kakashi and raised one eyebrow slightly.

"Kashi is completely trustworthy." Tsunade said, moving to one of the couches and waving for Hiashi to sit even as Kakashi moved silently to stand behind her. "I hold no secrets from him, or from Shizune."

Hiashi looked round. "Where is Shizune?"

"Shizune is taking care of some business in town for me." Tsunade said with a smile. "She will be back this evening."

"I see." Hiashi said. "Very well. The Hokage knew that I would be escorting my daughter here, and has sent me with a message. In addition, I have something personal to ask as well. Which would you like first?"

"What does the old monkey want?" Tsunade sighed and Hiashi straightened.

"Senju Tsunade, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, asks that you consider accepting the position of Godaime Hokage."

Kakashi inhaled sharply and Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. The old man must be getting really desperate. When does he want my answer?"

Hiashi breathed a silent sigh of relief. "When I return to collect Hinata, so that she can start at the Academy. I have brought several messenger birds with me as well, should you wish to correspond with the Hokage."

"I shall consider it." Tsunade said slowly. "And your personal mission?"

"Hinata is not accepted as being suitable for the position of clan heir by the Hyuuga council." Hiashi said. "I have managed to head off their efforts, but soon, I will probably be forced to name Hanabi as my heir and have Hinata branded with the Caged Bird seal. Unless…"

"A betrothal." Tsunade said as understanding dawned. "You wish to betroth Hinata to my son, Ruto, and have her marry into the Senju clan."

Hiashi nodded and Tsunade closed her eyes.

"I don't know if you are aware of this, but Ruto is not of my blood." She said slowly. Hiashi's eyes widened and Tsunade smiled mirthlessly.

"In fact, Ruto is the son of a close friend of mine who is now dead. I took him in and raised him as my own son. He wasn't the only one who I took in that fateful day."

Hiashi sat unmoving, unableto bring himself to do or say anything that would interrupt the unexpected revelation.

"Ruto is an Uzumaki."

Hiashi's gasp echoed round the room. "An Uzumaki? I thought they were all dead! How?"

"His parents died during the Kyuubi incident." Tsunade said. "Kashi rescued him from those who wished to kidnap him and lacking any other choice, he brought him to me and I adopted him. In an odd way, he saved my life, gave me something to live for. Needless to say, this information is currently beyond SS-rank, the old monkey does not need to know at this time."

Hiashi froze, his eyes wide. "Kyuubi… Uzumaki… Kami! Your son is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto!? Which means that… Hatake Kakashi!"

Tsunade nodded slightly and Hiashi took a shuddering breath, then slid off the settee, dropping into a formal prostration.

"Senju Tsunade, you have saved the life of the child of my closest friend, the Yondaime Hokage. Although I cannot tell the Clan this, I shall do all in my power to aid you from this day forwards, even if it costs me my life."

Tsunade and Kakashi exchanged a long glance, then Tsunade sighed.

"Get up, Hiashi. If you want to help, tell me about the latest factions in the Councils. Both the Hyuuga and the Leaf."

.

Scene 2

.

Hinata swallowed as she entered the classroom, then a familiar presence appeared at her side and a comforting arm draped itself across her shoulders.

"Are you alright, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smiled at the concerned expression on Senju Ruto's face.

"I… I'm just a bit nervous…"

"Why?" Ruto asked, his expression perplexed. "You're going to be a real kick-ass ninja, you're already way ahead of me in chakra control, remember?"

Hinata smiled as she thought back to ther last training session under the watchful gaze of the Hokage and her niece. Although Hinata had only fallen into the pond twice, Ruto had spent more time swimming to the edge then he had actually spent atop the water. Of course, when he removed his soaked shirt revealed his ripped abdomen, Hinata had got distracted enough to get drenched as well.

Tsunade had almost fallen over laughing when she realised what had caused Hinata's little plunge and for the rest of the afternoon Hinata had had to put up with comments about how she needed to get used to seeing her fiancee less than fully clad.

"Hinata, you're turning red. Are you alright?"

Hinata forced herself out of her memory and gave Ruto another smile.

"Yes, I'm fine. Shall we find our seats?"

Hinata glanced round, then moved towards two chairs beside each other, Ruto following her like a faithful puppy… Hinata blushed again as the image of Ruto clad only in a mask and collar with a leash flashed across her mind and she almost fell onto the first chair.

"Hinata-chan? You're turning red again…"

Hinata felt Ruto's hand gently settle onto her forehead as he checked her temperature and the contact, combined with the images in her mind, were enough to separate her temporarily from the world.


	23. Yamanaka Naruto Oneshot

As always, Naruto ain't mine.

.

**Yamanaka Naruto**

[Collected scenes that refused to gel into a story]

[Scene 1 – School Presentation]

.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka said and Naruto looked up. "If you want to sit this one out…"

"Nah, I'm good." Naruto grinned. "I found out who my dad was."

Iruka paused. "Really?"

"Yep." Naruto said eagerly. "The Old Man didn't know, but I worked it out."

"Very well then." Iruka shrugged. "Come up and give your speech."

Naruto took a quick look at his notes and shuffled them into a neat pile before scampering to the front of the classroom. Looking round, his grin widened.

"I've been told that no-one knew who my parents were, but the clues were there." He said. "It took me quite a bit of research to find but I believe that I have finally found out who my father was, and in doing so I have discovered that I have three half-siblings, although none of them are Shinobi, as well as a counsin who is in this class. May I present my father…"

Naruto held up the large copy of the picture that he had found and the entire class went quiet, until Mizuki gasped.

"That… that's Yamanaka Ishidi!"

"WHAT?!" Ino screamed in shock. "There's no way Naruto's my cousin! He can't be!"

.

[Scene 2 – Hokage's reaction]

.

Hiruzen leafed through the folder that Inoichi had brought to him, then he looked up.

"What is your opinion of this?"

"Going by what he discovered as well as what my brother was like, It is certainly plausible." Inoichi said, hiding a smile. Although he was not one of those who was officially knew Naruto's heritage, he had deduced it himself some time before and had been irritated at Hiruzen's inability to ensure Naruto had been properly looked after.

Now it was time to make a stand, shielded by his apparent ignorance of the truth.

"In fact, I would say it is more than plausible. There were no Senju males in Konoha during the time when Naruto would have been conceived and the only other clan with blond hair is mine. Therefore, I agree with his conclusion and have already arranged for him to be moved from his apartment, which I have seen, to my house where he will be given a bedroom of his own and proper clan training."

Hiruzen stared at him, then shook his head.

"No, I…"

"Hey, jiji!" Naruto shouted as he cannoned into the office. "Didja hear?! I'm part of a clan now! I have family!"

"Indeed." Inoichi said, snagging the hyperactive youth out of the air and placing him by his side.

"Hey, Uncle Inoichi, what are you doing here?"

"Just going over the arrangements." Inoichi said with a smile. "As I said before, you were very clever to find out what even the Hokage couldn't."

"Yeah, I'm awesome." Naruto grinned. "I wonder who my mom was though?"

"Knowing my little brother, it could have been any of a thousand women." Inoichi sighed, playing on Ishidi's reputation as a womaniser for all it was worth. Hiruzen remained silent and Inoichi felt a momentary pang of sympathy for him. If Hiruzen claimed that Ishidi _wasn't_ Naruto's father, he would have to explain that he had lied to Naruto for years about not knowing who it really was and thus he would lose Naruto's respect and all hope of guiding him. On the other hand, by going along with Naruto's claim, he was publically confirming that the Yamanaka clan was taking in the village _Jinchuuriki_, thus raising them from a minor clan to potentially the most powerful one in Konoha and upsetting the political dynamics.

"Anyway, let's head back. Naruto need to re-pot that plant of his. How he managed to keep it so healthy in such a small pot, I have no idea, but it does mean he'll be able to help with the garden."

"You've got a garden?" Naruto asked, wide-eyed. "Cool!"

.

[Scene 3 – Family training]

.

Ino collapsed against the trunk of the tree, breathing heavily as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. Looking up, she watched as Naruto, once again, launched himself at her father, trying to land a hit on him.

"…how?" She whispered in disbelief and Naruto _bounced_ back up from a landing that would have temporarily robbed her of the ability to breathe and flung himself back into the fray. "How does… he _do_ that?"

"He doesn't give up." Inoichi replied as he motioned for Naruto to stand down and get a drink. "Of course, his stamina levels are unreal, as are his chakra levels. I'm going to need to start him on water-walking and work down to leaf-balancing."

"He can't _do_ leaf-balancing." Ino said, remembering the time when the leaf on Naruto's forehead had exploded.

"Because he has too much chakra." Inoichi reiterated, looking at where Naruto was performing stretches and cool-down exercises. "He has so much that it affects how he learns, he learns by doing, not by reading about it."

Ino nodded slowly. It would explain why he was the Dead Last.

"The fact that his teachers taught him wrong didn't help." Inoichi added, causing Ino to stare at him in shock. "His Taijitsu style was a bastardised version of the Academy style and all wrong for his body type. I may need to call in Maito Gai for this."

Ino winced. She had met Maito Gai before and his… _unique_ wardrobe still sent shivers of horror down her spine.

"Hey, cousin." Naruto said, appearing beside her and startling her into emitting an _eep_! "Here's a cup of water for you, you look kinda sweaty."

"Ladies _don't_ sweat." Ino stated as she accepted the cup. "We _glow_."

"Really?" Naruto asked, brushing his hand across her forehead and looking at it. "Inoichi-sensei, is this sweat or glow? I thought glow was different. Why are you laughing?"

.

[Scene 4 – Shopping]

.

"I'm thinking… _Blondaime_." Ino said as she walked around a nervous Naruto, examining him closely. "And _that_ has to go. Bright orange? Do you _want_ to be killed?"

"But orange is awesome!" Naruto protested and Ino shook her head.

"No cousin of mine is going around looking like a forest fire if _I_ have anything to do about it! Anyway, didn't you say that you wanted to surpass the Yondaime? Well, you'll need the clothes for that. Come on!"

"Hey, wait!" Naruto shouted as he found himself being towed out of the house and down the street. Even channeling chakra into his feet as he had been taught for the tree-climbing exercise failed to slow Ino down, although it did leave a pair of near-parallel grooves in the road.

"Iiiiinnnnooooooo!"

"Stop whining." Ino commanded as she pulled him into a clothing store. "Now, you'll need proper clothing, something like my dad wears but with a bit of the Yondaime thrown in… hmmmmm, nope, nope, too bright, too loose, too tight, maybe, nope, nope, I wonder… no, forget it, it wouldn't wo… NARUTO!"

Naruto jumped and dropped the jacket he had picked up from the pile in the corner.

"Ino, I…"

"Alright!" Ino sighed. "I'll make sure you get some orange in your clothes, okay?"

"Thanks!"

"Here." Ino commanded, handing him some black trousers and top. "Put this on."

"But you said…"

"You'll get orange, don't worry." Ino said soothingly. "That's just the base, it'll make it more… I can't believe I'm saying this… _awesome_."

Naruto hugged her, then picked up the clothes he had dropped and scampered into the changing cubical as Ino blinked several times, then she turned and, smiling, rummaged through the clothes that had caught her eye.

"Changed!"

Ino nodded and threw a pair of orange-rimmed arm protectors at Naruto.

"Good, now put these on. Excellent, now this, it'll help protect you."

Naruto shrugged on the armoured over-vest, then he grinned as Ino held up a rusty-orange sleeveless high-collared Haori with black flames rising from the bottom.

"Coooooooooooooooooool."

Ino grinned as she helped Naruto to don the Haori, then she stepped back and nodded.

"Grow your hair out and wear it in a ponytail and it'll be _perfect_." She announced in satisfaction.

"I agree." Inoichi said from behind her and Ino leapt in shock.

"Daaa-aaad! Stop _doing_ that to me!"

"Although you need a few kunai pouches with that." Inoichi added as Naruto struck a pose in front of the mirror.

.

.

.

.

.

Further notes.

The story was planned to have Naruto's _real_ heritage discovered by Mizuki, who claims that the Forbidden Scroll contains a jutsu that will reveal Naruto's mother's name. Naruto gets the scroll, but having already been taught the _Kage Bunshin_ by Inoichi, unrolls it more and comes across the _Shiki Fuuin_ seal and the notes, including who made it, who used it and upon whom.

Naruto is quite skilled as Inoichi, seeing his potential, arranged to have him trained to his strengths, including using the _Kage Bunshin_ teaching trick to its fullest potential as planned by Nara Shikaku.

Due to his chakra-control issues, Naruto never learns any of the Yamanaka clan jutsus.

Addendum - I have since managed to locate only 2 stories where Naruto becomes part of the Yamanaka family, they are:-  
1) The Tale Of Naruto Yamanaka - id 9424924  
2) The Fox Among The Mountains - id 6760857  
I only encountered them after writing these scenes.


	24. The Vanishing Kid Oneshot

_I don't own Naruto. Believe it!_

_._

_I've read several stories that have Naruto learning the Hiraishin and it made me think. We know that Minato placed a Hiraishin Seal on Kushina, so what might have happened had the _Shiki Fujin_ incorporated a Hiraishin Seal as well?_

_Once again, though, the scenes refused to gel, so I'm placing this up for adoption._

.

**The Vanishing Kid**

Prologue Scene

.

The young boy muttered as he returned from his failed errand to find that once again, the orphanage had locked its doors, condemming him to another cold night under the stars. Even as he thought it, he felt the first drops of rain hitting him.

"Kami damn it!" He growled. "I _wish_ I wasn't here!"

.

_Sometimes, apparently inconsequential or apparently meaningless events may change the world._

_The boy was unaware that he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, the Red-hot Habenero and Princess of Whirlpool. He was totally unaware that when the Kyuubi no Kitsune had been sealed into him by means of a sealing masterwork that had cost both parents their lives to perform, the seal had incorporated a _Hiraishin_ seal, one that Minato had placed almost by reflex and, since its positioning meant that it wouldn't interfere with the main function of the seal, was allowed to remain._

_Because Minato and Kushina both died to seal the Kyuubi, no-one knew about the accidental addition to the seal. Even Jiraiya failed to spot it due to the complexity of the main seal and so he failed to consider what might happen if even a tiny tendril of the Kyuubi's Youkai managed to slip throughand interact with it._

_The frustration and depression that Naruto felt that night allowed such a tendril through, a tendril that touched the _Hiraishin_ portion of the seal, supercharging it and changing it very, very slightly._

_That one little alteration changed everything._

.

Naruto blinked. Somehow, odd stars had popped up. Although he couldn't see them, he was suddenly aware of them in a way that he couldn't describe, as well as everything within a dozen feet or so of the odd little stars.

And one of them was in a warm, dry place with trees laden with fruits he had never seen before.

Naruto _reached_ out for the star, and vanished from Konoha.

.

.

Reaction Scene

.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a very worried man.

The child of his successor/predecessor had vanished and after he had had Shimura Danzo arrested and interrogated by both Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi (who discovered that Danzo had been raiding orphanages for recruits to his ROOT organisation that should have been shut down), it had come to light that Danzo _hadn't_ been behind Naruto's sudden absence.

Tracker teams had scoured the area beyond the walls, with no sign of Naruto, yet his Crystal Ball had completely failed to find the boy, so he wasn't _in_ Konoha, but there was no sign that he had left.

"Sir!"

Hiruzen blinked as an ANBU seemed to materialise out of nowhere.

"Sir! Naruto was just spotted near Ichiraku's Ramen!"

Before the ANBU could continue, Hiruzen had vanished, showing a skill with the Shunshin that would have turned Shisui green with envy had he seen it.

.

"Another bowl, old man!" Naruto chirped and Teuchi laughed as he placed the bowl on the counter. On the side, Ayame was sorting through the large bag of strange fruits that Naruto had gathered, occasionally tasting one to check its flavour. At the other end of the counter, a ninja was eating slices of fruit from a bowl, occasionally offering suggestions and opinions.

"Hokage-sama!" Teuchi said, noticing Hiruzen's arrival. "Naruto made a trade, a whole sack of fruits for five bowls of ramen."

"Really?" Hiruzen said, looking at where Ayame was working. "Where did you get those, Naruto?"

"From the island." Naruto smiled. "It has sandy beaches and fruit trees and a stream I could drink from and fruit trees and rocks to jump from and fruit trees a pool I can splash in and fruit _bushes_ and a house with a picture in it. I borrowed the picture, who is this, Jiji?"

Hiruzen accepted the picture and his eyes widened. The photo was of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina on their wedding day.

"Where did you _find_ this?"

"On the _Island_." Naruto stated with they type of _I'm-being-patient-with-the-stupid-adult_ tone that only young children can achieve. "Who are they? Do they still live on the Island, 'cause I couldn't see them."

"That's the Yondaime and the Habenero." Teuchi said with a raised eyebrow. "They both died a few years ago."

"So that means I can have the island, yes?" Naruto asked. "I got me an island! Wahoo!"

"No, Naruto, you don't have an Island. You're too young for…" Hiruzen began, looking round, then back…

…at the empty space.

"Where did he go?"

Teuchi shrugged as he picked up the empty bowl.

.

.

Accidental Rescue

.

Naruto crept around the deserted kitchen, dragging a bag of leftovers. He had discovered the _star_ in the compound a while ago, but the few times he had tried to look round, he had been spotted and forced to run. Suddenly the door opened and a man carrying a sack ran in… and tripped over Naruto's food. With a growl of annoyance, Naruto grabbed his bag and _jumped_ to his island where he pulled open the bag and reached in to grab…

… a person.

"Huh?"

Naruto quickly pulled the person out of the bag and stared at her in confusion, even as her tear-filled eyes returned his gaze. She had dark hair, pale eyes and pale skin, and she was gagged and tied. Wanting to know what had happened to the food that he had tried to… _liberate_, Naruto started to undo the knots that held her immobile.

.

The Kumo ambassador swallowed as the guard opened the sack… and started to laugh before handing it over.

"Enjoy your picnic, sir."

The Ambassador froze. Picnic?

Slightly opening the bag, his eyes widened at the sight of several items of slightly-squashed food.

Where was the girl?

What had…

His thoughts froze and he shook his head. Picking up the bag, he walked quietly back to the suite that he had been assigned. _Someone_ had stolen his captive from him and humiliated him and he had managed to catch a glimpse of that person.

Tomorrow, he would ask around to find out just who that blond-haired menace was. It would cost him a few hours of his final day, but he would know who to assign the blame to.

.

Hinata woke drowsily as the sunshine shone on her face. Annoyed at the interruption to her wonderful dream of running along the beach with a boy who had hair of gold, she turned her head away from the light and snuggled back down against the warm but slightly different pillow, her relaxation enhanced by the sound of it breathing…

Her eyes flew open and she jolted into a sitting position, only for an arm to wrap round her shoulders and pull her into a hug.

"Warm." He muttered. "Pillow warm, not go."

"I… I have to get back."

The boy yawned and stretched and Hinata blushed as she realised that she had spent the entire night curled up to a boy she didn't know.

"Hmmm?"

"I need to head back before my parents miss me." Hinata repeated and the boy blinked a few times as he woke up, then he pointed at her.

"You never told me why you were tied up!"

"I… don't know." Hinata hedged and the boy shrugged. "Okay. Hey, you want some fruit?"

.

Hiashi blinked as Hinata trotted past, one hand wiping away the fruit juice that was trickling down her chin while the other held a type of fruit that he hadn't seen before. For a moment, he mentally debated calling her back to ask her where she had got the fruit, but he was distracted by the emergence of the arrogant bastard Kumo had chosen as their ambassador (with emphasis on the _ass_).

"Good morning." He said, almost hiding his smirk. "I hope you enjoyed your midnight snack."

The irritated look he received was very gratifying and Hiashi knew that he would still be treasuring it even when the ambassador left that afternoon.


End file.
